Thirty-One Days
by keelhaulrose
Summary: In the midst of the Battle of Hogwarts Hermione is given the opportunity to help save Snape's life. Little did she know it would require visiting Hogwarts twenty years prior. She has thirty-one days to befriend the sullen Slytherin, and perhaps save his life. But, as always, things don't always go as planned. HG/SS, time-travel, EWE
1. The Plan in Motion

**A/N: Hello, all. I'm embarking on another multi-chapter Hermione/Severus adventure. I promise I will get back to 'This Isn't Happening' at some point, probably when my own kids aren't fueling fantasies of Hermione dumping Aiden off on Mrs. Weasley and running off to have fun and sleep in (as I was typing this I heard a random crash and maniacal laughter, yeah, I don't want to write about kids right now)**

**This is my take on a time-travel story. It is mostly cannon through the battle, and completely ignores the epilogue. It will also contain adult themes. And some language. Ye be warned.  
**

"Harry!" she called, running through the halls. Her lungs were aching from exertion and breathing in the dust and smoke from the ruined castle. "Harry!" she shouted again, her panic level rising. He wouldn't be so stupid as to actually go into the woods, would he? One moment they were standing around Fred's body, the next she looked up and Harry was gone. Stupid, stubborn, boneheaded Potter. He wouldn't have fallen for Voldemort's promise, would he? He didn't actually think that if he sacrificed himself that Tom Riddle would let everyone in the castle live, did he?

As soon as she realized Harry was gone she took off through the castle, first heading towards the front to see if she could catch him sneaking into the forest. She had no chance of catching him there, and she was nervous when she didn't see him. The only hope was that he was somewhere in the castle, doing Merlin knows what, somewhere she could find him and talk him out of sacrificing himself. If they were dead either way, they'd stand a better chance with him there. He just had to think…

Think! Of course he'd go to someone who had thought up their insane little quest, who had directed this war from the first onset. He'd want to talk to Dumbledore, and there was only one way to do that. She turned around, bounding up the nearest staircase two at a time, stumbling only when she forgot the trick step halfway up, but still moving faster than she thought possible until she came to a stop in front of the Headmaster's office. The passage was open for some reason, and, feeling suspicious, she stepped onto the spiraling staircase and drew her wand as she rode it up.

But there was no enemy waiting for her when she reached the top, nor was there a sign of Harry. The door to the Headmaster's study was cracked, and she pushed it open just to make sure Harry wasn't hiding inside. But she saw no one, but there was a pensive on the desk, the surface bubbling slightly as if someone were inside watching a memory. She approached the table cautiously, and could see blurred images swirling below her. She bent low, trying to get a better look.

"As much as I condone your help in every other one of his exploits, I must ask that you stay out of this one," a warm voice said behind her.

She turned and looked up to see Dumbledore's portrait smiling down at her.

"Those are Snape's memories," she said, nodding towards the Pensive.

"They are."

"He wouldn't have given them to him if they weren't to let him know something important."

"Of course."

She felt her stomach drop. "He's one of them, isn't he? That's why he's a Parseltongue, and why he can see Voldemort, and why he's always been so damn moody… he's a horcrux, isn't he?"

"Unfortunately, yes," his face fell. "How long have you known?"

"I started suspecting as soon as I knew what they were," she whispered.

"You have earned the title of the Brightest Witch of your age, haven't you?"

She barely heard this, the tears that she had been holding back since she had rushed out of the Great Hall started coming, and she couldn't stop them. "He has to die, hasn't he?"

"Yes."

She sank to the floor, unable to speak, letting her emotions finally catch up with her. She would be here when he came out. He wouldn't be going to his death alone. She had been there since the beginning, and she would take this step with him. Her own minutes had become severely numbered, but her death would be a sacrifice someone would have to make. No one should die alone, and Harry wouldn't, either. So much death had happened that day, perhaps hers and Harry's sacrifice would put an end to it. They were doing it out of love, and if Lily Potter's love could save her son, perhaps their love could help save everyone in the castle from Voldemort's wrath when Harry was dead.

"Is there something you'd like to talk about, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore's portrait said kindly.

"I'm going with him," she managed.

"I don't think that wise."

"I know that if I go, I'll die, too, but I feel that it's for the best."

"If you give it time, I'd be willing to bet that you'll find that Harry will be fine."

She scoffed. As if he could be 'fine' when dead. Unless Dumbledore was talking about the end of his mental torment, she was willing to bet their definitions of 'fine' were vastly different. Perhaps Aberforth was right. Perhaps his brother was a bit off his rocker.

"I know you must have seen some horrible things today…"

"Are you mental?" she jumped up and shouted at the portrait. "One half of the Weasley twins are dead, and if you could honestly tell me it'll ever be the same with just George, I'd still think you were lying. Colin Creevy, who wasn't supposed to even been in the castle, died because that bloodthirsty werewolf is on the damn loose and doesn't care if his victim is underage. And speaking of werewolves…" her voice broke as she started to shout less and sob more, "Lupin and Tonks are both dead. Little Teddy is too young to understand. He's living with Andromeda, who now has to raise a baby alone because her husband, daughter, and son-in-law are all dead and pretty soon Teddy's godfather will be as well. I would do it, but I'm about to go die with him."

Her body was so racked with sobs she couldn't stay on her feet, and she sunk back onto the cold stone floor. "I watched Snape get bitten to death. He was one of the most powerful wizards I've ever seen, he could fight several people at once and still come out on top, but he didn't move. He didn't try to get away. He didn't try to fight. He knew it was coming and he let it happen anyways. How desperate for death was he that he wouldn't even defend himself? I don't even know what side he was on at the end. We were so sure he was on Voldemorts- he had killed you, but his last act was to give Harry memories and look at his eyes, at Lily's eyes, and die. He died well known and universally disliked, don't tell me the Death Eaters liked him, Bellatrix did not have a nice word about him as she was torturing me. I want to go with Harry because no one deserves to die alone, but I wish I had been there for Snape because no one deserves to feel like they are happy Death is about to collect them."

She hung her head between her knees, and took a couple minutes to compose herself, and didn't see the twinkle in Dumbledore's eye as he studied her.

"Did you mean what you said?" he asked when she sat up.

"About what? About dying with Harry? Abso…"

"No, no. About Severus. Do you really wish that you could help him?"

"Of course. Severus Snape may not have been a pleasant man, but if someone genuinely cared about him instead of using him for whatever end they were trying to achieve…" she added with venom, glaring at his picture, "then perhaps he would fight for his life."

"Phyllida," Dumbledore turned to one of the smaller portraits. "Do you think it is time?"

Hermione had never noticed the raven-haired witch sitting in the portrait, but when she turned to look Phyllida Spore, former Headmistress of Hogwarts and author of her Herbology text, was staring at her with a sincere interest. A quick look around the room and Hermione realized these were the only two portraits still in the study, the rest had gone to watch the battle. "Yes, Dumbledore, I do think she's ready for the task. She looks right, doesn't she?"

"That she does. Now, if you'd please…"

Phyllida's portrait swung wide, revealing a small cavity behind her portrait. Inside the cavity was a box, just one corner of which was visible.

"You'll find it will come to you, and only you," Dumbledore smiled.

Hermione waved her wand, casting a silent summoning charm, and the box floated down to her. It was dusty, as if it had been there for years, and there were no fingerprints or anything to indicate that it had been recently handled. There was a small padlock on it, but no hole for a key. She looked curiously at Dumbledore.

"Do not open it unless you are completely committed to helping Severus."

To Hermione's surprise the lock opened with the touch of her fingers. She slowly pried the top open and peeked inside. There was a yellowed envelope sealed in deep purple wax, a time-turner, a smaller box, and what looked to be a lock of her own hair.

"How did you…?" she started to ask, pointing at the hair.

"You will find that all your questions will be answered if you open the smaller box. Keep a tight hold of everything if you decide to do so."

Warning bells were going off in Hermione's head, but she was determined to help Snape. With shaking hands she lifted the smaller box out of the larger, shut the larger and tucked it tightly under her arm.

"Good luck, Miss Granger. You have thirty-one days."

She looked up to ask him what he meant, but was shocked to find the portrait empty. With shaking hands she pried the top off the smaller box. A faint golden light was emitting from the depths and Hermione slowly brought it towards her face to get a better look. When the box was at her eye level she suddenly felt herself getting sucked forward into it, her feet leaving the ground and disappearing into swirling golden nothingness.


	2. And it Begins

**A/N: I do believe I forgot this in chapter one- so here's the obligatory legalese. I own nothing. All characters/places you see appearing in this fic are the intellectual property of JKR. I'm making no profit from this fic.**

**Before I get a lot of stuff, I've tweaked a few character's ages so they would still be at Hogwarts at the same time as Snape's sixth year. I know Lucius is older, but I wanted him around for later, so I shaved a few years off him and upped his Hogwarts status.  
**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. If you left a signed review, I tried to give a response, if I missed you I'm sorry!  
**

When her feet hit the floor again she was back where she started, in the Headmaster's study, but something was different. The large portrait of Dumbledore was gone, the desk was neater, and there wasn't the acrid smell of smoke and destruction hanging in the air. The Pensive was also gone, instead the desk was covered with correspondence and paperwork.

There was a soft cry and the ruffle of feathers behind her. She turned, coming nearly face-to-face with a beautiful red and gold colored bird.

"Fawkes!" she smiled, reaching out towards the Phoenix. The bird studied her for a moment, then leaned into her touch, making happy clicking sounds with his beak.

"I don't supposed you can tell me what I'm doing here or what's going on, can you, Fawkes?" she murmured, dropping her hand and moving slowly towards the desk. She craned her neck to read the letter on the top of the stack of correspondence, and had to do a double-take on the first line.

_Seventh October, 1976_

"This can't be right," she murmured, and she pushed it aside, but the top three letters all bore the same date. She suddenly remembered the box under her arm. She put it down on the desk and opened it again, her hand snatching up the letter. The wax seal had the crest of Hogwarts on it, and she turned it over to find Dumbledore's name written in his own script. She debated opening the letter anyways when she heard the sound of footsteps outside the door. She grabbed the box and scrambled away from the desk as the door opened, and a younger looking Dumbledore entered. He paused when he saw her, and she realized that she must look a sight, blood slowly seeping from a wound on her face and another on her shoulder, covered in dust and burns from the stuff in Bellatrix's vault, clothes burned, torn and splattered with mud and other peoples' blood.

"May I help you?" he asked slowly.

"I, um… I'm not sure…" she couldn't figure out how to tell the younger Dumbledore about what was going on, because she wasn't sure herself. Still trying to stammer an explanation as to her disheveled state and sudden appearance she thrust the letter towards him. Dumbledore took it with a confused look, sat at his desk, and motioned for her to sit across from him. He opened the letter, and they both sat in silence as he read the parchment several times before folding it carefully, putting it back in the envelope, and setting it on fire.

"What are you doing?" she cried, terrified that her only hint as to what she should be doing was now curling up in flames.

"No need to worry yourself about it, Miss Puckle," he smiled.

"Puckle?" she asked in surprise. Puckle was her mother's maiden name, but there would be no way that Dumbledore in 1976 would know her mother.

"That letter told me that is how I am to address you. Hermione Puckle. It says that it would be best if no one here knew your true name, and so I don't want you to correct me if either name is incorrect. For your time here, you are Hermione Puckle."

"Where is 'here'?" she asked.

"Hogwarts, Miss Puckle, though probably not as you remember it. This is Hogwarts in 1976. I don't want to hear the differences, it would be best if I did not, nor do I want you to tell me how I managed to get that box to you or why you have apeared in the state you have. In fact when you leave this room it would probably be best that you and I interact as little as possible. Right now we must get you cleaned up, and make sure you have a plausible story. What house are you in?"

"Er…" she said, looking up to the ragged Sorting Hat. "Ravenclaw."

The hat seemed to perk up at this, but did not speak up, though how would it know years in advance, before she was even born, that she was going to ask to be sorted into a different house? Dumbledore's eyebrow raised, and she got the uncomfortable feeling that he knew the lie and was waiting for her to tell the truth, but she was sure that the best way to make sure Snape never looked twice at her would be to be a Gryffindor, so she said nothing and just looked back at him. He relented, and they spent half an hour devising a cover story, just thinking up the major points. Dumbledore left it to Hermione to fill in the details if asked, thinking that she would be better able to remember what she made up rather than what he made up for her. He cleaned and repaired her clothes, healed her fresh wounds and did the best to diminish the appearance of the older ones. Finally he conjured up a set of Hogwarts robes.

"These will get you through dinner, which is going on downstairs. We will have two more pairs sent up as quickly as possible, as well as whatever clothes I may be able to scrounge up for you and a set of books. Is there anything else you need before you go?"

"Yes, sir," she said, rolling up her sleeve, and showing him the scars where Bellatrix had carved 'mudblood' into her arm. "It would be easier for me if I didn't advertise this fact while I'm here."

He stared at her for a moment, and she set her jaw and stared back defiantly. "Would you like me to try to get rid of it?"

"No," she said forcefully as she shook her head. "I had to go through a lot getting it, and I'd rather say I earned it."

"Your homework from me, if you could call it that, is look up glamour charms. This should hold for a couple days, but you should learn to do it yourself for when it starts to wear off. If you have difficulty you can find me again," he said, waving his wand over the spot. She felt an odd tingling, and when she looked down she could see the scars fading and disappearing.

"You do know how long you're here, correct?" he asked.

"Thirty one days, sir."

"Good. I trust you know where you are going?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then you are excused."

"Thank you, sir," she said, grabbing the box, shrinking it, stuffing it in her bag and heading towards the door.

"Good luck, Miss Puckle," he called after her. He waited until the door closed before he sat at his table, tapping his fingers together. He had been mulling trying to create a spell to move back in time farther than a time-turner would allow, and now he would have to get working on that. Other than that he had been deliberately vague in the letter, and he wasn't sure exactly why Miss Puckle was here, when she came from, who her target was, or what she needed to do with that target. She was too young and the time was all wrong for her to be going after Riddle herself, but it was obvious she had recently been in a fight, and the fact that she had 'mudblood' carved into her arm made him suspicious that all his recent efforts might be for naught. Miss Puckle's appearance raised a lot of questions that he would have to try to avoid answering. He had encouraged himself to stay away from it other than helping Miss Puckle get set up in the letter he wrote himself. In fact, the only other thing he said was short and to the point- "trust her".

The scent of dinner had wafted all the way up to the corridor outside the Headmaster's office, and it was just then Hermione realized how long she had gone without food. They had a light breakfast at Shell Cottage, one she had mostly ignored due to the knot in her stomach, before they had gone to break into Gringotts, and after that she had been too busy or too upset to eat. Her stomach growled loudly, and she hurried to the Great Hall. The Ravenclaw table was second from the left, right next to the Slytherin table. No one seemed to notice the newcomer in their midst as she moved along the table until there was a large enough gap she could sit down and start spooning food onto an empty plate, and ladled a generous portion of soup into a bowl, hungrily taking a couple of spoonfuls, the hot liquid warming her to the bones and making her thank Merlin for soup not made of nettles and mostly water.

"Hey," the girl sitting about ten feet away from her called. "Come here."

Hermione swallowed the bite of bread she had just taken, then slid over on the bench to meet the girl and two others who were sitting with her.

"I'm Jennae," the girl said, offering her hand. "Sixth year."

"Hermione," she replied, shaking hello. "Also sixth year, but at Beauxbatons."

"Really?" one of the other girls asked.

"Yeah. I'm just here for a couple of weeks."

"Why is that?"

"Danielle!" Jennae interrupted. "Manners. What do you think we are, Slytherins?"

"Sorry," she smiled. "I'm Danielle. Sixth year, too."

"And I'm Selena," the final girl said with a smile. "Sixth year, as you may have guessed. Now we can ask, why are you here for a couple weeks?"

Hermione gave the quick explanation she and Dumbledore had made up, that she was at Hogwarts because her grandfather was dying and the family moved back temporarily to be by him, and that she was exchanging schools so she could be close enough to visit occasionally and be there quickly when the time came. The girls seemed to take it without question.

"You're going to love Hogwarts," Jennae said. "And I am going to do everything I can to help you through this. You've been sorted, obviously…"

"Yes. Dumbledore put some old hat on me in his office earlier," Hermione lied.

"Good. Ravenclaw is the best house, naturally, because we're in it. Being the smartest kids in the room helps. Gryffindors are good enough, but tend towards having big heads and more of a desire to have fun than prove how smart they may be. The Hufflepuffs are the friendliest group of people you could ever hope to meet, but not the brightest. And then there's the Slytherins."

Hermione took the opportunity to look up at the table as Jennae motioned towards it. To her surprise she saw several familiar faces, each with twenty years taken off their lives. Her jaw set as the first person she saw was Lucius Malfoy, Head Boy badge on his chest, ego practically visible, a younger Narcissa at his side looking thrilled to have caught his eye. Across the table from Lucius were Crabbe and Goyle senior, completing the Trio-From-Hell-Senior party. If possible her jaw clamped even tighter when she looked next to Narcissa, where Bellatrix Black sat, not looking as insane as in later life, but still fucking crazy, laughing at her own joke in a shrill pitch. Hermione was tempted to end a lot of pain in her time, and Bellatrix would never see the curse coming, but she could probably kiss her soul goodbye if she killed another student within an hour of arriving at Hogwarts and with no good explanation other than 'the bitch is an insane murderess'. She looked away, and finally saw what she was looking for, sitting on Lucius' other side, but further away from the group. Snape's hair curtained his face, he was looking down into a book as he ate, but she saw the distinct outline of his nose through the hair. He looked as greasy as ever, and she got the impression that Lucius' group were friendly with him, but not overtly so. Getting close to him would be easier if he wasn't always flanked by the Future Death Eaters of Hogwarts Club, because she was sure there was only so long she could be civil to any of them, asking more than a minute might be enough for her patience.

"Cunning lot, they are," Selena said as she caught Hermione looking at them. "Most have a mean streak a mile wide. Obsessed with blood purity, too. But some of them are smart, too. Very good at finding their advantage and playing it. The greasy one, Snape, he'd probably be a Ravenclaw if he wasn't such a bloody git. We're sure he's one of the smartest in our year. Knows more than he should, actually."

"Now don't scare her. We have several classes with the Slytherins," Jennae laughed, digging in her bag. She came up with a book that she held out to Hermione. "Hogwarts: A History," she announced. "By the time you're done reading this, you'll be more knowledgeable than most about our fair school."

They discussed different teachers and subjects with Hermione until they finished eating, then the girls showed Hermione the way up to the dorm.

"Say my name, and I disappear," the doorknocker said as they approached.

"Silence," Hermione replied automatically.

"Oh, she's good," Jennae smiled as they entered. "She'll do well here. Maybe we'll have to even try to convince her to leave Beauxbatons for us."

Hermione smiled, taking in the new surroundings with unabashed interest. The common room felt very open, done up in the richest of the Ravenclaw blue and bronze colors, with books and study spaces galore. For a fleeting moment Hermione felt like she could have enjoyed her years here, if she hadn't asked the Sorting Hat to send her to Gryffindor. At least if she had been in Ravenclaw her years at Hogwarts would probably have been much less stressful.

"You look tired," Jennae said as Danielle and Selena hurried to claim the last four-top study table. "We have a Care of Magical Creatures exam to study for, so we're going to stay up…"

"I'm not going to take Care of Magical Creatures here," Hermione said. She had pared down her courses to only the ones she felt she really wanted to take, a mini-refresher course before she returned to her own time, or the ones she would share with Snape. Seven classes in total- Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, Arithmancy, Herbology, and Runes. She had already taken the sixth year of all the classes, which would help her appear bright, and would hopefully convince Snape she wasn't a dunderhead unworthy of his time.

"Then I'll show you the dorm. You look like you've had a rough day."

"You have no idea," she murmured as she followed her through a door and up a flight of stairs to a door labeled 'Sixth Years'. There was an open bed with a new trunk sitting at the foot, opened to reveal the clothes and supplies Dumbledore had arranged for her.

"Get some rest, and I'll wake you up a bit early tomorrow for a quick tour of some of the more important places before breakfast. Alright?"

"Sounds great. Thank you," she said, feeling her muscles relax in relief as she sunk onto the comfortable bed.

"Anything you need, let me know. Goodnight, Hermione."

"Goodnight, Jennae," she smiled, and a couple seconds later was left alone in the room. Her muscles began to ache from the day as she stripped her clothes off, folding them carefully and placing them in the trunk that Dumbledore had proivded for her, with a mental note to wear them again on day thirty-one so she didn't look like she had changed in the midst of the battle. She changed into a nightshirt, chuckling at the lurid purple Dumbledore picked out for her, and laid on the bed. A smile crossed her face as she thought how of how easily Jennae and her friends had welcomed her to the school and treated her as though they had known each other for years. Perhaps it was because she was in Ravenclaw, where brains were valued above all, and therefore among people like herself, but she already felt closer to these girls than she had ever felt to her own dorm mates, and her last thought before she let herself succumb to sleep was a vow to herself that she wouldn't look up any of their fates when she returned to her time.


	3. An Unfriendly Start

**A/N: It's time for them to them to meet, she doesn't have much time to spare.**

She woke up the next day early enough to take a much needed hot shower. She took her time getting dressed, carefully pulling her wet hair back into a tight braid so it didn't appear as bushy as usual. There were bags under her eyes, and she still had the look of someone who had too much stress and not enough sleep, but she would only be able to get rid of that look through time and rest. Thirty one days would normally seem like an exceptionally long time, but considering she only had that one month to befriend the most notoriously withdrawn teacher of Hogwarts and try to convince him to hold onto his life later, and once those thirty-one days were up she'd be dropped right back in the middle of a battle, it seemed like an insurmountable task. Just another day as Harry Potter's best friend.

Jennae met her, and showed her the quickest way down to the Great Hall, which involved a secret passage Hermione didn't know about. She made mental notes so she could repeat the route, and happily settled down for a large breakfast.

"Are you taking Transfiguration with us?" Jennae asked as she ate.

"Yes," she said, retrieving her schedule from her bag and showing her new dorm-mate.

"We have Charms and Transfiguration with the Gryffindors, so expect them to get a little loud and have a few show-offs," she said, looking over the schedule. "Arithmancy is with the Hufflepuffs, so things are fine. I don't take Runes or Potions, but both of those are with the Slytherins. Herbology, too. So is Defense Against the Dark Arts, and let me tell you, that lot makes that class interesting."

"How so?" she asked.

"Because most of them know more about the Dark Arts than they do about defending against them. Don't pair up with Bellatrix Black. Just don't. She's terrifying. Lucius Malfoy isn't in our year, but he'll be around a bit, and can be scary if he stares at you just right though he can be very charming when you're just talking with him. And that Severus Snape, he knows a lot more than he lets on. Anything we do in class he'll probably pick up before anyone else. He can be a bit... disconcerting. But it's not really a big deal, I guess, I don't mean to scare you."

"I'm not scared. I've dealt with... their type before," she murmured, rubbing her forearm.

"Are you about done? I can show you a few places of interest in the castle, if you'd like."

"Of course," Hermione said, taking a last bite and standing. She slung her bag over her shoulder and turned to leave, running right into someone very familiar.

"Sorry, Harry," she said automatically, then quickly realized that the messy-haired boy was not her best friend, though he bore a striking resemblance. Except, of course, for the eyes.

"I could be Harry, if you want me to be, love," James Potter smiled back, and the three boys behind him snickered.

"I'm sorry, you look an awful lot like a friend I had at... my old school," she muttered.

"'s alright," he said with a lopsided smile.

"I'm... I... I've got to go," she stammered, ducking past them and hurrying down the table, feeling her face redden as she went. How could she have completely forgotten that her trip back would not just bring her face-to-face with some future Death Eaters, but also some former members of the Order of the Phoenix, including her best friend's father. She realized, with a sinking stomach, that she had probably just exchanged more words with him than Harry ever had. Seeing James was bad enough, but Sirius and Lupin were potentially problematic, with all the time she would be spending around them in the future. Her decision to go on this mission was looking more and more idiotic by the minute.

"I see you're making friends with some of the more attractive Gryffindor boys already," Jennae snickered as they walked out of the hall.

"If by making friends you mean running into them and calling one by the wrong name," she replied.

"You will quickly find out that James Potter and Sirius Black are the two most popular men in our year, with good reason," she explained as they made their way towards the library. "I think James is off the market right now, dating another Gryffindor named Lily Evans, but Sirius is single."

"Are you looking for a relationship?" she asked.

"Not a chance, we're NEWT level, and our class loads are insane. I've got lots of time for men later. But if you just want a fling while you're here, Sirius is handsome and doesn't seem interested in anything long-term."

"I'm not looking for anything," she mumbled as she peered into the library. Pince was there, looking like the exact same woman just with fewer lines on her face, even her robes looked the same.

"We'll go to the Potions dungeon next, then work our way back up to the Charms corridor," Jennae said.

Hermione automatically turned towards a shortcut behind a fake wall that she had discovered during her third year.

"Where are you going?" Jennae asked.

"Oh, I saw a bit of an... abnormality here," she muttered, stumbling while trying to cover up her knowledge of the castle.

"This place is full of hidden passages, I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few I haven't heard about," she smiled, coming up to Hermione and putting her hand on the wall, which allowed it to slip through easily. They walked down the hidden passageway until they came out a floor above the Potions corridor. Jennae was thrilled, claiming it took them five minutes less than normal. They peered into the dungeons, but upon seeing Slughorn decided not to walk through. Instead they retreated back up the stairs, passing by the Runes classroom, then the DADA room, the Transfiguration corridor, and finally arriving at the Charms room as Flitwick was opening the door.

"I don't have a seat-mate in this class," Jennae said as they entered the room. "So, for your time here, you can sit with me."

They took their place at a desk about halfway back, and almost immediately James and Sirius took the desk in front of them.

"Hullo, not Harry," James beamed at her.

"Prongs," Sirius sighed exaggeratedly. "_You're_ not Harry, she's... well, we don't know your name, love, but I'd be happy to call you 'love' if you don't want to give us your name."

"Hermione Puckle,"she said quickly.

"Puckle? That won't do. It doesn't suit you. What was that first name again? Herm- mia- knee?"

"Hermione," she repeated slowly.

"Hmm... you're certainly not a Hermy, I guess it won't be too hard for me to call you your full name. Or, perhaps, I should just stick with 'love'."

"My name is fine," she murmured, turning red.

"No need to be so nervous, Hermione. I don't bite, unless, of course, you want me to," he waggled his eyebrows as James started laughing.

"Are you torturing the poor visiting student?" Lupin asked, sliding into the seat in front of Sirius, followed closely by Pettigrew.

"It's not torture, dear Moony," Sirius beamed. "Just being friendly is all."

"Friendly, you say?" Peter beamed. "We all know what you mean by 'friendly'."

"You're not helping, Wormy."

"I apologize for my idiot friends," Lupin smiled. "They don't know the meaning of the word 'subtlety'."

"It's alright," she murmured, busying herself getting out her textbook.

"How long are you here for, Hermione?" Sirius asked, leaning on her desk.

"Not sure. Might be a few days, might be a couple months," she lied.

"Well, I should apologize for making you feel so uncomfortable. Would you like me to give you a tour of the castle?"

"Jennae already has."

"Did she give you a tour of all the more... intimate spots? No one knows this castle better than the four of us."

"I'll be quite alright not getting caught sneaking around."

"Trust me, love, if you come with me you won't get caught. Thoroughly snogged, perhaps, but not caught."

"I'm still alright," she muttered, and was saved from the conversation by a younger Flitwick coming in. She played it cool throughout the class, she had decided early on that she didn't want too much attention from any of the teachers she would have again. She knew what they were talking about, but she only occasionally offered an answer and thought she did a good job being an altogether forgettable student. As soon as the bell rang she was standing and half-sprinting from the room, Jennae close behind. She was halfway to the Runes classroom before Jennae caught up.

"Are we avoiding someone?" Jennae smirked as Hermione, after checking to make sure the Marauders weren't behind her, slowed down.

"Not in the slightest," she lied. "I just don't want to be late for Runes."

"Sure, that's it. Okay, do you remember where the classroom is?"

"Yes."

"Good, if I show you there's a good chance I'll be late for Care of Magical Creatures."

"I wouldn't want that."

"Okay. Well, hopefully you'll make friends in Runes, but considering you're the only girl from Ravenclaw currently taking it..."

"Really?"

"Well, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination are at the same time. Divination isn't a big draw for us, but Care of Magical Creatures is always interesting, so we tend to go there. Runes is nice if you're planning on being a curse-breaker or work in the Department of Mysteries or something, but unless you plan on working with them it's kind of pointless to take the class."

"I guess you're right. Good luck on your exam."

"Good luck with the class."

Hermione waved as she hurried down the hallway. By the small group standing outside the Runes classroom it wasn't a popular option, just her, two boys from Ravenclaw, a Gryffindor girl she didn't recognize, two Slytherin girls, Snape, and, for some reason, Lucius. Lucius seemed to be in the middle of a story, and by the looks of it Snape couldn't be more disinterested in what his friend had to say, but he was offering the occasional nod or phrase to keep the older student going. She came to a stop behind Lucius and took a deep breath.

"Good afternoon," she said, as brightly as she could muster, and the elder Malfoy turned to face her.

"Good afternoon," he drawled, eying her.

"Am I in the right spot for Runes?"

"You are. I heard rumor we had a visitor from, if my information is correct, Beauxbatons, for a while."

"That would be me," she replied.

"Lucius Malfoy," he said, offering a hand.

"Hermione Puckle," she said, forcing herself not to wince as she shook his hand.

"Puckle, you say?"

"Yes. My father's name. My mother is a Delacour."

"Ah, one of _the_ Delacours from France?"

"The same."

"Wonderful," he beamed, and she realized she must have passed his first test. She might not be a pure-blood, but her family was an old, and more importantly rich, family of wizards. Or, at least they were to the best of his knowledge. "How are you finding Hogwarts?"

"It is different, but not overly so. We sit our exams after sixth year, and that last year is focused on picking a specialty and making sure it would be a good fit post-education." Lying to Lucius was infinitely easier than lying to anyone else here, and she was sure if she ever had the displeasure of meeting Bellatrix she wouldn't mind spinning the biggest whoppers she could. If only she learned the fine art of the backhanded compliment from Fred and George.

"What specialty were you drifting towards?" Lucius was studying her with curiosity, and she realized this was a test, to see if she was worth talking to or not.

"Well, Potions is a strength of mine, as well as Charms and Transfiguration. I was thinking of getting a job as a curse-breaker when I'm older, but things are always up in the air."

"It takes a powerful witch or wizard to be a curse breaker."

"We'll see how that turns out for me," she shot back. "I don't think it'll be a problem."

"You certainly have the confidence," he chuckled. "Have you met Severus?"

"No, I haven't had much chance to meet any Slytherins yet. Just the Ravenclaws and the Gryffindors."

She saw Severus' jaw clench.

"Don't be rude, Severus, say hullo."

Snape turned towards her, his eyes barely visible through his curtains of hair, though she felt he could see her perfectly. "Hullo," he replied in his unmistakable low, slow, bored-sounding drawl.

"Pleasure to meet you," she replied, though not as cheerfully as she had said with Lucius. Severus in the future was not a fan of bubbly personalities, and she doubted that he was that much different than his younger self.

He grunted in return, then the door opened and he disappeared into the classroom without a second word. She bid good-bye to Lucius and followed Severus into the room. She knew she would have to impress him if she wanted him to give her a second glance, and this would be the class to do it. Runes was one of the few subjects she had gotten better at during her time on the run, with all the hours she pored over the Tales of Beetle the Bard, and more importantly, carefully translating the story of the three brothers. So throughout the class she raised her hand, though not with every question, answered smoothly and fluently, and asked intelligent questions she already knew the answer to. By the end she could tell the Professor seemed impressed, though Severus was as hard to read as ever.

Lucius was waiting outside the room, and starting walking beside her as they made their way towards the Great Hall for lunch. She resisted the urge to punch him and run, but Severus was a couple paces behind them, and while she thought he'd find it amusing at first, it would hardly endear her to commit assault on his friend for no good reason. After asking a bit about how she found Hogwarts he started questioning her further about her personal life.

"May I ask why you are here?"

"My grandfather on my father's side is sick, probably dying. I'm here for a while until he either gets better or passes. My father wanted me close by in case I need to visit before he passes."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he replied flippantly, obviously not sorry at all.

"It happens," she shrugged.

"It does," he nodded. "Oh, I have someone I'd like you to meet. Narcissa!" he called to his future wife, who was waiting near the Great Hall and scowling as she saw him walking towards her with another woman next to him.

"Lucius," she forced a wide, beautiful smile.

"Narcissa, this is Hermione Puckle. She's a Delacour from Beauxbatons, visiting Hogwarts for a while."

"Oh, pleasure to meet you," the smile turned sincere and she stepped forward to kiss each of Hermione's cheeks. Hermione felt ice running through her veins.

"You're going to have to excuse me, I promised Jennae I would meet up with her for lunch," Hermione said, spotting her dorm-mates sitting halfway down the table. "Good to meet you."

"You as well," Lucius smiled, drawing her hand up to his mouth and brushing her lips against her fingers, and she had to admit he was charming.

"Goodbye, Severus," she said softly as she passed him, and forced herself not to look back even though she felt his eyes following her all the way to her seat.

"Welcome back," Jennae moved over so Hermione could sit next to her. "How was your class?"

"Interesting," she replied truthfully. "How did your exam go?"

"Ugh, I swear sometimes I'm the biggest dolt. I forgot the scientific name for the Hippogriff..." she started chatting, and Hermione got drawn into a discussion about the creatures that were typically brought into their class, though none of them sounded nearly as dangerous as what Hagrid thought were class-ready examples.

After lunch she had a free period, and some Runes translations she had to do, so she headed up to the library. She retrieved some books to help her and settled into a table in a remote corner. Not too long after she felt someone's robes brush against her, and she looked up to see Snape settling at a vacant table not too far away with a large stack of books. She worked alone for a few more minutes, then pretended to get stuck on a little-used translation. Steeling her nerves she stood, and walked to Snape's table.

"Excuse me?" she said softly.

His head snapped up, and his eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her.

"I was wondering if you could help me," she said with a smile she hoped didn't make her nerves too obvious.

He didn't verbally respond.

"I'm having trouble with a rune. I can't find it in the book."

"Which one?" he asked, eyes shifting to the paper in her hand.

"This one," she said, pointing.

His hand shot out, grabbing one of the books from his stack, and he thrust it roughly at her. "I don't do homework for people," he growled as she took it.

"Thanks," she muttered, and she quickly retreated back to her table. She watched his back for a while, realizing just how difficult her task was going to be.

**A/N: Before I get flames, remember when she accepted the 'mission', and how certain events (especially the one with Narcissa betraying Voldemort) have not happened yet. Narcissa is still a Death Eater in Hermione's mind.**


	4. A Disasterous Lesson

"There you are!" Slughorn said jovially, looking up from a couple other students as she entered the room. "I was wondering if this castle was going to trip you up."

"I walked the route a couple of times so I wouldn't be late," she said, standing next to his desk as he dismissed the other students. It was her second day of classes, and while she could have easily found the potions room with her eyes shut, she took some extra time and came in with just a few seconds to spare.

"I have something for you," he said, holding out a copy of _Advanced Potion Making_. "I trust you have the rest of your supplies?"

"Yes, sir," she said, patting her bag.

"Good. Put your things away in the designated spot in the stores. The class is finishing their work with the Hiccoughing solution today, and I fear you would be unable to catch up in one days' time. So instead I'd like you to write an essay, as much as you can, on the brewing, use, and storage of this potion. In addition, please try to watch the class, so you will be able to join with us when we start a new potion next week. Do you think you'll be able to do that?"

"Of course, sir."

"Feel free to speak to any of the students about their brewing process if you need a visual aide. I would recommend watching Mister Snape," he said with a nod towards Severus, "for at least some time during the class, as he is quite skilled with the material. And, seeing as he's the only one who doesn't share a work area, you will have the option of working next to him next week when we start a new brew."

She looked over at Snape, and found him staring at her, his eyes daring her to go anywhere near him during the class. She decided to play it safe, speaking only to other Ravenclaws during the class, and since she had already studied the potion once she felt the essay was very easy to write. She got most of it done, then chanced another look up at Snape. He was in his own world, brewing carefully without much of a care to those around him. She found herself unable to tear her gaze away, his work was absolutely mesmerizing, it was hard to believe he was only a student and not a potions Master yet.

He must have had a moment to rest, because suddenly his eyes shot up to meet hers. His narrowed in suspicion and annoyance, and she looked away in embarrassment. She felt his eyes continue to study her, and she scribbled the rest of her essay quickly without daring to look up. With a few minutes left in class Slughorn called for them to all turn their work in she was the first to scurry up and hand her essay in. She packed her things away as everyone else cleared their station. She looked up as she was walking out and saw Snape staring at her through the door. Their gazes held for a long moment, this time she refused to look away, and then he turned and stalked off with a signature swish of his robes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

She paused in a secret passageway before her first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, still trying to make the appearance of not knowing her way around the castle, and walked in seconds before the bell. The rest of the class was already in their seats, talking, laughing, and several Slytherin boys were demolishing a defenseless Divination book, from which paper was tearing itself and twisting itself into increasingly vulgar images. The moment that Professor Daube, the current teacher serving his one-year sentence, entered the room the papers flattened themselves back out and reattached themselves in the book milliseconds before it was shoved unceremoniously into the offender's bag and kicked under a chair.

"Excuse me, Professor," she said as she reached the front.

"Ah, you must be the new student Albus warned me would be visiting for the next few weeks, he said, adjusting his glasses and wearing a smile that betrayed his fatigue. "Miss Pickle…"

"Puckle, Sir," she corrected, hearing a few people snigger behind her.

"Sorry, Miss Puckle. I do not know where you are at Beaubaxtons, but I ask you gauge yourself during this lesson and come to me if you need any assistance with the background work. Please, have a seat. Any will do," he motioned towards the room. She turned around to find only one seat open, and unsurprisingly it was next to a very irritated looking Severus. She said nothing as she took the seat and, seeing that everyone else's desk was cleared, folded her hands atop it, waiting for instructions.

Professor Daube turned to start the class. "I trust you all have done the reading. Who can tell me the benefits of using non-verbal spells?"

Hermione raised her hand with the rest of the Ravenclaws, as well as a few Slytherins, though Severus' remained stubbornly crossed.

"Ah, Miss Puckle."

"When using a non-verbal spell in a combat situation you gain a slight advantage over an enemy, who does not know what you are casting until it is cast, therefore only being able to place up a basic shield charm which may not work as a specific counter curse or specialized shield, or even ducking as the case may be. And, of course, it gives the caster the ability to be slightly less annoying while performing menial tasks around the house without having to stop conversation to recite every incantation."

"Glad to see you're on the same page as us, Miss Puckle," he said with a grin. "Take five points for Ravenclaw."

She felt a smug smile crossing her lips as she wished she could have recited the same slightly smart-mouthed answer to Professor Snape in her sixth year, but then again it was probably a good idea she couldn't lest she wind up on the wrong end of a particularly nasty non-verbal herself. She looked at Severus out of the corner of her eye, and saw his eyes darting away from her back towards the front, a deeper scowl crossing his lips.

A few minutes later they were told to find a place throughout the room where they and their desk mates could practice non-verbal spells. Unlike when Snape was teaching several lines of pillows suddenly appeared in case a charm knocked a student off their feet, but like when Snape was teaching they were instructed to disarm only, and to use a shield charm in defense.

"You better not mess this up for me," Severus hissed, just loud enough for her to hear, as they took their positions against one wall.

"You better be able to keep up with me, then," she shot back.

Severus was scowling deeper than she had ever seen him when Hermione turned to face him, taking a casual stance with her wand out in front of her.

"Wands at the ready. Cast your spells in three… two…"

Severus' wand sliced the air prematurely, and before Hermione effortlessly cast a non-verbal shield charm she had noticed his lips had moved in a whisper of the curse. Her shield was in time, knocking his spell harmlessly into the wall next to them. His teeth barred, and his wand came down again.

"Langlock," she heard him say, and a burst of blue light came shooting towards her, but she was able to deflect it, and sent a non-verbal disarming charm back at him. His wand was wrenched from his hand before he was able to block it. She caught it and tossed it back to him.

Even over the other groups of students she could hear his growl.

"Levicorpus!" he shouted, and she was barely able to get her shield back up in time, the spell missing her by less than a foot. She shot another disarming charm at him, but he was able to block it, moving his wand in a fluid motion, this time without saying a curse, but a burst of red light came shooting at her either way, and she dove to the side to avoid it. Without even thinking she cast another spell at him before she even hit the floor, but disarming was the last thing on her mind. Her instinctual stunner hit Snape in the chest, knocking him backwards into the pillows. She stood up, feeling somewhat triumphant when he suddenly sat up, shooting another curse at her. She pointed her wand at the nearest desk, which flew in front of her, breaking into thousands of pieces as Severus' curse hit it. Before the pieces had a chance to fall she had shot another curse at him, thick black ropes bursting from the tip of her wand, and he had to dive to avoid them as they twisted tightly around a pillar behind him. They were both aiming their next curses at each other when a powerful shield charm shot up between them.

"Mister Snape! Miss Puckle!" Professor Daube's angry voice brought her back to the reality that she was still standing in the DADA room and not in an actual battle with Severus. She felt blood rushing to her face as, panting, she turned to face her incensed professor, and it was only then she realized that no one in the class was doing the exercise- they had been watching her and Severus fighting in unabashed fascination.

"Twenty-five points from each of your houses! And a detention with me tonight at seven!" the Professor continued, red-faced with anger. "Now both of you are excused for the rest of the lesson. I will be speaking to your heads of house about this."

"Sorry, sir," she muttered, gathering her bag and rushing from the room. Severus made a point of colliding with her as hard as he could as they reached the door at the same time, then skulking off towards the Slytherin dungeon without looking back at her. She huffed, turning to stalk off in the other direction, and becoming more irritated as she went. Severus had gotten her thrown out of class for the first time in her school career because he was a prat who had to show her up, and she had let him goad her into a fight. It was only after her first cup of tea in the Ravenclaw common room that she realized that the incident would do nothing to help her with the reason she was there, in fact there was even less of a likelihood that Severus would ever look in her direction again, and she mentally began to kick herself for losing herself in class. Her only excuse was that Severus was attempting to hex a woman who, for several months before showing up as an unwelcome intrusion in his young life, had to react to any spell cast in her direction as something that would likely kill her and she acted as a recent combat veteran would be expected to react. Not that she could explain that to anyone.

Not long after the rest of the Ravenclaws entered, and Jennae made a beeline towards her, a wide grin on her face.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Jennae said as she dropped into the seat next to Hermione.

"It was nothing. We learned non-verbal spells last year at…"

"Not _that_, though that was brilliant in and of itself, I've never seen someone our age that skilled with non-verbal spells. I meant you knocking around that ruddy Slytherin git."

"Severus? I didn't knock him around."

"Not at first, no. We could tell you were blocking, and doing it really well. But those ropes at the end were not any defensive spell."

"Well, I don't know what he was hurling at me, but I assumed they were nothing pretty when that table exploded. I guess I thought if he were a bit tied up he might not be able to kill me or dismember me or whatever he was aiming to do."

"Let me tell you something about Severus Snape," she said with a sigh. "The boy is known for his quick temper, but he is smart. Top of our class, I think, though he doesn't share scores. Every class we've had with him he is the first to pick up whatever spell we're learning. He gets annoyed if anyone is even close. You didn't speak a word while you were casting those spells. You showed him up. That's why he got so angry at you. But it needed to be done. Someone needed to show Snape he is not the greatest magical being in this school."

"I'm not here forever," she murmured.

"But you are here for a while, and it would do him some good to be knocked down a peg."

Hermione bit her lip but said nothing. While knocking Snape down a peg would hold no small bit of satisfaction, it was not the reason she was back here. And the last thing she needed was an even more hostile Snape later in life.

XXXXXXXXXX

At five to seven she was back in front of the DADA room, waiting for the door to open and usher her into whatever well-deserved punishment she was about to receive. There was the sound of soft footfalls approaching her, and she looked up to see Severus stalking down the hall, looking annoyed at her. Without a word he stood, arms crossed, facing the opposite wall on the other side of the door from her. She opened her mouth a couple times to apologize for what happened, but she couldn't bring herself to it. He had disregarded every instruction- he did not cast a non-verbal, he didn't even try on the first one, and he had started before time, and not one of his curses was a disarming charm. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became until she was mirroring Snape's expression and body language when Professor Daube opened the door.

"Come in, you two," he said, standing aside. Severus was in the room first with a trademark billow of his robes, and Hermione rolled her eyes before following. When she got in the room she saw only one thing out of place- a knot the side of a dragon egg sitting on the desk she shared with Severus.

"Hand in your wands," Daube said, holding his hand out, and reluctantly Hermione's vine wood wand joined Severus' intricately carved wand in the proffered hand. "You will get them back at the end of this detention, the length of which will be determined by the two of you. Your job is simple- you will untie the knot on your desk, obviously without using magic. You have three hours in which to accomplish this task, but if you complete it early you may leave early. However, if you fail to untie it tonight, you will return at 7 o'clock tomorrow night, and every night thereafter, until it is untangled. Do you have any questions?"

"No, sir," they answered in unison.

"Then you may begin."

Without a word Hermione and Severus went to the table, each sitting on a side. Hermione found the end easily accessible, and she took it and started trying to work the knot out from that side. On the other side of the knot she could see Severus doing the same thing. For the first thirty minutes they worked on their sides in silence. Occasionally she would look up at Severus, whose black hair was falling over his face, but not totally hiding his frustration. And, after a while, she was admitting she was getting frustrated as well. At first the knot wasn't proving difficult. She was able to trace the rope back into itself and unwind it from itself, but the further back she worked, the more difficult it became.

"You wouldn't happen to know wandless magic as well as non-verbal, would you?" Snape growled, tugging at something on his end but getting nowhere.

She let off a soft snort of a chuckle, but it immediately turned into a scowl as she traced the rope into a tangle, and she could not see where it wound up. She tried to pull apart some of the knot to get a better look, but she couldn't pull it apart and trace the end at the same time. After five minutes of trying she finally admitted that she wouldn't be able to make progress without getting help.

"Severus?" she asked hesitantly, afraid of his temper and thankful he didn't have his wand.

"Yes?" he snarled, pulling hopelessly on his side, which wasn't budging.

"I'm stuck. I can't keep going without some help. Could you please come here and give me a hand?"

He looked at her for a long moment, then gave up his side as a bad job. He obviously didn't want to be there until the end of the term trying to untie a knot, so if she had a chance of getting it to move he would help her. She showed him what she needed him to do, and he pulled part of the knot apart. Much to Hermione's surprise she could not only easily see where the rope wound to, it practically obeyed her lightest touch. In five minutes they had easily worked out twice what she had done in the full half hour before she had asked Severus to help her. And as she worked she thought, and she gasped as she had an idea.

"What's wrong?" Severus asked.

"It's magic," she said gleefully. "The knot. It's magic. When we're working apart it's hard to untangle, but when we're working together it's much simpler. I'd be willing to bet that we'd never be able to do it without working together."

"So we'll be out of here quicker if we help each other?"

"That's what I'm saying. Sure beats detention every night. Unless you can't get enough of me. In which case I would understand- I know I'm charming and irresistible," she added with a fake smile.

One side of his mouth curled up before he looked down so his hair covered his face. "Let me guess, you'd count modesty as one of your strengths?"

"Of course."

"Then you really are one of the more infuriating people I've ever met."

"You have no idea," she laughed.

They worked together for several minutes, only talking enough to give each other suggestions. When the knot was three quarters of the way untied he asked, "How did you know it?"

"Know what?"

"Non-verbal spells."

"I was taught last year. And my teacher had a bit of a rod up his arse. He wouldn't take failure as an option."

"So you've been doing it for a year?"

"A little more, but yes, about a year."

"So you had an advantage going into our class," he murmured to himself. "I always thought Beauxbatons was a bit of a soft option when it came to wizarding schools."

"Hm," she shrugged noncommittally.

"Why do you go there? You're obviously not French."

"My Mum is," she lied. "She went to Beauxbatons, but moved here to work for Gringotts. She met my dad, who is a Muggle, and settled down here. But she wanted me to go to Beauxbatons, and she figured it would be a good time for us to make the move."

"What does that mean?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It means the climate in the English magical community has become somewhat dark as of late. There are whispers something big is going to happen, that it might already be happening. Mum is married to a Muggle. She's afraid of what might happen to us."

"Then why are you here?"

"My Grandfather is dying. We're not sure how long it is going to take, days, weeks maybe, but Dad wants to spend his last days together. And they want me close by so I can visit easily."

There was a long pause. "And when he does pass?"

"I'm going to go back. I like Hogwarts, but I'm not sure how safe it is at the moment."

He allowed for another long pause before he said, "I'm a half-blood."

"And what are you plans?"

"To stay safe," he said shortly.

"I hope you do," she replied, knowing he wouldn't.

"Your mother. What's her maiden name again? I heard you mention it to Lucius."

"Delacour," she replied.

"Pure blood?"

"Not that it matters, but yes."

He opened his mouth as if he were going to argue that something did matter, but seemed to think the better of it. Her jaw set, anger coursing through her as she realized he was already starting to buy into the blood-purity propaganda. Immediately the knot became more difficult to unwind.

"You're upset," he noted.

"The tone in your voice seems to betray that you seem to think highly of blood status. I hate that blood purity rubbish. Muggle-borns can be just as smart, if not smarter, than some inbred pureblood idiot. Obviously wandless magic is possible, even among the so-called 'Mudbloods', just look at underage witches and wizards who don't know about magic being able to perform accidental magic, but much of the rhetoric against them is that they stole magic when they stole wands. If magic is something that can be stolen, why wouldn't they keep stealing it and teaching how to do so to their family and friends? Why wouldn't every man, woman, and child have a damn wand by now?"

He scowled, but didn't reply.

"Blood purity is just a thin façade for people who want to rule over Muggles. Magic is Might rubbish. There is power in that, and they want it. I don't buy into it. I can't buy into it."

The knot had become all but impossible to unravel at this point, and she wasn't even trying. She sat with her arms crossed, jaw tight. "This blood purity rubbish is going to get people killed," she added softly.

He swallowed hard. Being in Slytherin and not a complete moron he knew her words were more true than she could possibly know. People were already dead, but the Slytherins who supported the uprising of the Dark Lord said that the deaths were only to ensure the success of their cause, and that the Dark Lord was trying to keep the deaths of witches and wizards to a minimum. Severus had doubts, but Voldemort's arguments could be quite persuasive.

Each of them sat by the knot, not even bothering to try to work on it, until Hermione calmed herself down by reminding herself that she might as well give up and go home if she couldn't even work out a knot with Severus.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "My views are not important to this detention."

Severus didn't reply, but cautiously offered her the end of rope they had been working on. They worked in silence until, with two minutes to go before ten o'clock, they finished.

"Very good," Professor Daube said as they showed him the untied length of rope. He handed each of them back their wands, which they both eagerly stored in their robes. "We will be working on the same subject next class period. I trust you two will be able to work together without any more unpleasantness?"

They each nodded.

"You are free to go."

They walked into the hallway and turned toward the South end of the castle, where the Slytherin dungeons and the Ravenclaw tower both were.

"I'm not used to not being the first to know something in a class," Snape said as they walked. "I didn't like being shown up."

"I didn't mean to show you up," she replied. "At first I was just trying to do what we had been told. But then I felt almost attacked, and I responded in kind."

"I lost my temper. I was upset you were doing non-verbal spells and I wanted to best you. I shouldn't have."

She lifted an eyebrow. "Is this some kind of apology?"

He didn't reply, rather he pulled his wand, aimed at a spare scrap of parchment on the ground, and flicked his wrist. The parchment wobbled, but didn't fly into the air with what Hermione recognized as a 'Wingardum Leviosa' charm. "I've been practicing, but I can't seem to do it."

"You did it in class," she pointed out.

"I did?"

"Yes. Not at first, but when we were really fighting you managed a couple without saying anything."

"How did I…?"

"It's easier when you're not focused so hard on it, I found. I know that sounds strange, but…" she trailed off as she heard familiar shuffling footsteps coming towards them from a side hallway, and the soft echo of a cat's meow. They had every right to be out, but if Filch was anything like she remembered, he would not care, and would at least hold them up for a while, possibly to the point where they really would be out of their dorms after curfew and would get in trouble. She made the split decision she didn't want Filch to catch them.

"Let's get out of here," she hissed, grabbing Severus' hand and running back down the hall, ducking into a small alcove hidden behind a tapestry she had found once while reading and walking. The hidden alcove was meant to only hide one, but they were both lean enough that there was just enough room for the two of them, and their bodies were pressed together, facing each other. There would be no going back after hiding here, stumbling out of this little alcove had very few platonic explanations, and Filch would happily bust them for something they were not doing.

"What's going on? How do you know about this…?" Severus started, but Hermione slapped a hand over his mouth and motioned for him to keep quiet, her breasts heaving against his chest as she struggled to catch her breath. In the cramped space it was impossible for Hermione not to notice that the lack of space between them was causing some physical reactions in Severus- he had tensed, his breathing had deepened, and she could feel him starting to grow against her thigh. She swallowed and tried to ignore the quick thrill coursing through her with the realization that she was turning Severus Snape on. Seconds later the footsteps approached, and a grumbling voice could be heard.

"I heard students over here, I did," Filch was talking to Mrs. Norris. "We'll find them. Skin them alive, I will. They're in for a world of hurt…" his voice trailed off as he hobbled down the hall. Hermione waited until there had been quiet for several seconds and she was sure Filch was gone before she removed her hand from Severus' mouth. They looked at each other, then burst out laughing in unison.

"He is a character, isn't he?" Hermione chuckled.

"He is easy to antagonize," Severus agreed, shaking his head. His hair came to land behind his shoulders, giving her an unobstructed view of his face for the first time since she had gone back.

"Hm," Hermione murmured, looking him over.

"What?" he asked, dropping his head so his hair formed its usual curtain over his features.

"I just hadn't seen your hair like that before," she replied, reaching up to push some of it back over his shoulder. "It looks good. You should think about wearing it back or something."

She could have sworn she saw his cheeks flush, but it was gone almost immediately.

"If you want me to help you work on non-verbal spells I will."

From his expression she could tell he didn't trust her to actually follow through, but in the end he said "Sure," and nodded. "But right now we should probably get back to our dorms before Mrs. Norris finds us."

"Probably a good idea."

"Goodnight."

"Watch your hide," she smiled, then turned to walk down the hall. She felt his eyes follow her all the way down the hallway until she turned the corner.


	5. Not that simple

**A/N: Before your regularly scheduled story, here's a little bit of a soapbox.**

**For those who do not know, I am a mother. I have two young girls under the age of 5. I have also been dealing with some deaths in my family recently. It's been a tumultuous time in my life. I'm sure most everyone has heard about what happened at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. It has seriously got me thinking. Life is precious. We aren't guaranteed anything. We all get pleasure out of different things, if you're reading this you probably like to read fanfics featuring Severus and Hermione (I'm good at pointing out the obvious).  
**

**And so I ask that my readers do something- if you are a parent, never forget to tell your children you love them. Everyone should tell it to someone they truly love. And in this season, make a little effort to brighten the end of someone's year. Donate a toy, or some food, or your time. Call someone who may need to talk. Anything. Let these tragedies inspire us to love a little more, and not fear. Sometimes it's okay to wear pajamas all day, have a meal comprising of something that would make your doctor pale, and stay up late to watch the end of that movie.  
**

**That's the end of my spiel. On to the story.  
**

She woke up the next day confused as to where exactly she was with Snape. Were they okay after their detention, or would they start fighting again if she showed a slight bit of talent more than his? Was it going to be back to him being surly and isolated, or would he talk to her a little easier? She worried about it all through her shower, and went down to the common room to find Jennae and Selena had waited for her to go down to breakfast.

"How did your detention go last night?" Jennae asked.

"Okay," she shrugged, then proceeded to tell them about the knot.

"You have to have some kind of record. One full day here and you got detention," Selena said.

Hermione opened her mouth, meaning to tell them about how Harry and Ron got detention once before term technically started, but she shut it quickly when she realized that particular event wasn't going to happen for close to twenty five years.

"Oi, Puckle!" she heard a male voice call, and she stopped herself from groaning.

"We'll leave you," Jennae smirked as she and Selena hurried along and Hermione paused, letting the Marauders catch up.

"Did you really beat up on Snivellous during Defense yesterday?" Sirius asked, jogging up to her, his eyes alight.

"Snivellous?" she asked, sounding disgusted.

"Snape. Did you or did you not beat up on Snape?" he asked excitedly.

"What exactly did you hear?" she asked slowly, starting to walk towards the Great Hall.

"A variety of things, many of which are probably greatly exaggerated. Everything from you forcing him to tap-dance around the room, to him having to dive out of the way of your Killing Curses. Perhaps a few things about him screaming like a little girl."

"All of those are a lot of bollocks," she snapped, grinding her teeth.

"Okay, some of them may have been fantasies," Sirius beamed, and with a smile as charming as his she wasn't surprised Sirius usually had a witch or two staring at him.

"But we did hear he attacked you, and you fought back," James added.

"He didn't attack me!" she hissed. "He threw a curse prematurely, but I easily blocked it. He may have thrown a few more, and things may have escalated, but it was not some kind of battle in the middle of the Defense room."

"Still, we heard you won," Peter smiled, and she felt her stomach turn over.

"Considering we both lost twenty five points each, and got detentions, I hardly would consider that either one of us 'won'."

"That had to be rough, having to spend a detention with Snivellous," Sirius said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "How did you stand the smell?"

"You are incorrigible," she said, trying to duck out from underneath, but he hooked a hand under her arm and held fast.

"I think the word you're looking for is 'irresistible'," he replied.

"The word I'm looking for would earn me another twenty-five point deduction," she rolled her eyes, forcing herself not to smile, but secretly enjoying the banter. Still, she was trying to minimize the amount of time she spent around Sirius and Lupin in hopes they wouldn't remember her later.

"Now, Hermione," he sighed, sounding wounded. "You've gone and hurt my feelings. I may need you to nurse me back to health."

"You are a piece of work, Mr. Black."

"You can call me Sirius, love."

"I would, but it would be false advertizing."

James, Remus, and Peter burst out laughing.

"See, this is what I need," Sirius said with a barking laugh. "You have spunk, love. How about you come out to the Quidditch pitch after classes today, and I'll let you ride my broomstick?"

"I don't fly," she said, this time managing to duck out from under his arm as they entered the Great Hall.

"You haven't given me the chance to work on that."

"And I won't be. Good day, Mr. Black," she said, spinning on her heel and hurrying down the Ravenclaw table. She happened to glance down the the Slytherin table as she walked between the two, and saw Severus furiously scribbling something on a piece of paper, not even looking up as Lucius asked him a question. She swallowed hard. Did he see her coming in with Sirius' arm draped around her? That wouldn't help anything.

"Sirius Black seems to be seeking out your company a fair deal," Selena said as she sat next to Jennae and tried to ignore the feeling like she had several pairs of eyes on her.

"He can seek all he wants, he's not going to find what he's looking for," she replied tersely.

She was spared any further discussion by Danielle sitting down with an armful of star charts and loudly proclaiming that continuing Astronomy was the dumbest decisions she had ever made. Hermione spent the rest of breakfast helping her sort her homework out, and by the time she made it to Charms class there wasn't enough time for Sirius to talk to her before Flitwick started talking. Again, the moment they were dismissed she shot up and started hurrying to Runes. She came up next to Severus, who was waiting outside the Runes room.

"Good morning, Severus," she greeted him.

He shot a look at her, and swept into the room when the door opened.

He must have seen Sirius' arm wrapped around her. She lost any ground she had gained during their detention and the time after. Back to square one. When she sat down in the desk next to his he moved as far as he could away from her and moved his hair so she was completely obscured from his vision. Okay, a square back from where she had started.

She waited to try to talk to him until after class ended, and started walking next to him on their way to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Do you think we're going to be allowed to work together in Defense again?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied shortly.

"Well, I promise to behave if you do."

He grunted.

She sighed, and walked a minute or two in silence. "Do you take Herbology tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, then he sped up and disappeared through a hidden passageway that led away from the Great Hall. She sighed, considered following him, and decided against it.

XXXXXXXXXX

Her first transfiguration class was that afternoon, and by the time she got there the Gryffindors were already seated. It seemed like, for whatever reason, Wormtail wasn't in this class, and her stomach dropped as she saw the odd number of Marauders. She tried to sneak in without being seen, but Sirius saw her and called for her.

"Hermione!" he shouted, standing and waving his hands above his head dramatically, ignoring the look of longing the girl sitting next to him was shooting him.

She sighed and walked over to them. "Yes?" she said, still standing far enough away he couldn't touch her.

"We seem to have an empty seat here, love," he said, pointing to the spot next to Lupin.

"Do you enjoy being dragged into this?" she asked her future professor.

"I've long since stopped trying to fight him on most things," Lupin shrugged with an apologetic smile.

"As long as you promise not to put your arm around me, I'll sit."

"I solemnly swear," he beamed, raising a hand towards the ceiling.

"Now what fun is it if we can't touch?" Sirius pouted.

"You got me in trouble with that this morning," she replied.

"Trouble? With who? James was supposed to soften the Ravenclaws to me. Are you skivving off your duties, James?"

"There's only so much flirting I can do without Lily getting upset," he said, smiling across the aisle at the pretty redheaded witch who was looking away from the group. Hermione was thankful for that, she wasn't prepared to see Harry's parents together just yet.

"Not them," she shook her head enthusiastically.

"Then who?" Sirius asked.

She opened her mouth to reply, but realized that the chances of them stopping if she told them it was Severus she was concerned about was in the negative, they would probably redouble their efforts, so she thought quickly. "Dumbledore," she replied.

"Dumbledore?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes. Dumbledore. Before Runes he reminded me that while I am here I am an ambassador for Beauxbatons, and that any sort of ill behavior would reflect badly on my school. I guess looking like I managed to hook up with you first day is considered 'ill behavior'."

"Oh. I'll just have to wait a few days to give the impressions, then, won't I?"

"No," she rolled her eyes. "You will not be giving the impressions at all. Let me lay it on the line, I am not interested."

"Yet," he smirked as McGonagall entered the room and gave him a stern look that had him immediately turning to the front of the room.

She made another quick exit when the class was over, and made a beeline for the library, hoping she got lucky. She did, finding Severus alone at the same table in the back. She waited for a few more tables to fill in, so she had no visible options anywhere near him, and walked back to him carrying a stack of books.

"May I work here?" she asked, pointing at the chair kitty-corner to his.

His head snapped up and he looked around the room. "There's an unfinished table of Ravenclaws," he said, pointing at a table with three first-years sitting and looking hopelessly over a large history text.

"You and I both know if I go sit there I'm going to spend my time tutoring them, and I don't have the time nor the patience to be doing so. I have to review some Herbology notes before class tomorrow."

"How about that one, with the seventh year?" he said, pointing to a table with a solitary Hufflepuff seventh year.

"You know NEWT level students who are studying that hard this early in the year are susceptible to jumping at even the smallest movements."

"Fine!" he snapped, clearly annoyed as he shoved a few books out of her way. "Sit if you must insist on annoying me."

"Annoying you?" she asked, sounding indignant. "I wasn't aware that I read that loud."

"Just leave me alone."

"Have it your way," she shrugged, sitting and starting to read. One hour turned into two, and next thing she knew the smells of dinner were wafting into the room, and she was too tempted to stay in the library.

"Are you going downstairs to eat?" she asked.

"Eventually," he replied, not looking up.

"Would you like to walk down with me?"

His head snapped up and he studied her through narrowed eyes. "Don't you have Black to escort you around the castle?"

"Black?" she scoffed, knowing that even though she found the Marauders somewhat charming and funny, reminding her a bit of Fred and George, she was going to have to act like she couldn't stand them. "Arrogant windbag. I'm doing my best to avoid him, but he's worse than Peeves."

A look of confusion passed over his face, but when it left his features were softened. "Okay. I'll walk with you."

"Good," she smiled. They put their books in stacks for Pince to put away, she was still as cantankerous and obsessive in the past as she was in Hermione's time, and walked out towards the Great Hall.

"I wanted to tell you the other day, and maybe I would have if you didn't have such a knack for getting under my skin, that I watched you a bit during potions, and you look amazing," she said as they walked.

"What do you mean?" he asked, suspicious.

"I mean you made it look so effortless. Like you have been doing it your whole life. You never looked unsure of yourself. It was mesmerizing in a way."

"Oh," he paused a moment before adding an unsure, "Thanks."

"Would you mind if I sat with you during potions?"

"That depends. How good are you?"

"Not as good as you," she replied quickly, figuring flattery would only help her at this point. "But I think I can hold my own."

"Don't expect me to baby you through it."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

They were heading down the grand staircase when a voice called his name behind them, and her blood ran cold. They stopped, and she stiffened as they turned to find Bellatrix coming down the stairs. A shot of pain surged through Hermione's left arm as Bellatrix approached, slowly spreading over her body, and it took all her willpower not to show a physical reaction to the witch.

"Snape," Bellatrix said in her high-pitched, authoritative voice. "Give me a copy of your Defense notes," she demanded without acknowledging Hermione at all.

"I have told you half a dozen times, I am not going to do your work for you, Bella," Snape shot back.

"Come on, Snape, you know how I feel about that subject."

"One would think you care enough about your NEWTs to at least pay a bit of attention."

"The only reason I care is my father will throttle me if I come home with a T, and I don't feel like incurring his wrath. But I'm not aiming for an O or anything. I would have dropped the subject if he didn't think it was 'prudent' I keep with it."

"And how does any of this concern me?"

"Fine. How does ten Galleons make you feel?"

"It feels a like an insult."

"Twenty?"

He studied her. "Fifty."

"Fifty! For fifty I'd expect you to do my bloody homework in the subject all year. Do you really think your notes for the first month of school are worth fifty galleons?"

"You can afford it. You can hardly afford a T, but with as much as I know you pay attention in classes you have no interest in you have hardly put pen to paper to take a note in that class. And I know for a fact you used the book for practicing hexes, so you don't even have your copy. I am the only one who pays any kind of attention in that class, therefore you are dependent on me, and hardly in a position to negotiate."

"Damn you, Severus. Fifty."

"Once I have the money, I'll surrender a copy of my notes. Pleasure doing business with you."

"Getting bloody ripped off, more like. Who's this?" she asked, seemingly noticing Hermione for the first time.

"Hermione..." he started but she cut him off.

"The Delacour girl from Beauxbatons Lucius was talking about," she said with a smile, and a flash of crooked teeth.

"Puckle," Hermione corrected timidly.

"But you are from the Delacours, are you not?"

"Yes, but my last name is Puckle."

"Whatever. Good luck around here. I hope you have enough to afford Severus' help, though he probably wouldn't decline an invitation from you to pay in other ways. You're certainly a step up from the mudblood," she left without any warning, and Hermione looked at Severus.

"Did you really just sell your notes to her?" she asked indignantly.

"Jokes on her. My notes are sparse, it's a lot of it is in shorthand. She will hardly be able to understand any of it."

She suddenly felt a surge of panic deep in her stomach. "Do you think that's a good idea? What if she gets mad?"

"I'll be able to handle her," he replied flippantly.

She opened her mouth, then shut it again. While selling bad notes to Bellatrix Lestrange seemed like suicide in her eyes, to Snape she'd have no reason to try to caution him.

They made it to the entrance of the Great Hall, and she barely had time to shoot him a quick good-bye before he walked off to join the Slytherin table. She exhaled in frustration. She might be on better terms with Snape, but she still had a long way to go.


	6. Collaboration

During Herbology the next day she saw Severus, but worked mostly with the Ravenclaws. Even so there were several times when she felt eyes on her, and would look up to lock with Severus' gaze for a second or two. He always looked puzzled, like he was trying to figure her out. It was troubling to say the least, like he might have known there was something off about her. She wouldn't put it past Severus to see through her carefully laid-out story. Still, each time she caught him looking she tried to flash him a smile, though each time she did he quickly looked away. For some reason she found it charming and a little flattering.

She didn't get a chance to see him the rest of the day. It was problematic, but expected, that in a normal school setting their paths wouldn't cross much unless they were in class or the library together, and even then nothing was guaranteed. She was going to have to walk the line between normal meetings and supposedly chance encounters to get close to Severus. She still wasn't sure what she was going to do once she got close to him. It felt like turning the tables that she was now watching his every move and trying to know his schedule and movements, but even as a student Severus knew the castle like the back of his hand and easily slipped away while she was preoccupied by her new friends and unable to follow him.

It wasn't until the next morning, which was a Saturday and therefore a day she was not going to be able to talk to him in class, that she was able to catch him alone. She was rounding a corner, heading back to the Ravenclaw tower to gather some things to do some studying in the library. He was coming around the corner in the opposite direction, already heading towards the library. They managed not to collide with each other, but in their sudden stop Severu's notes dropped from his hands and scattered on the floor. He swore, and they both bent down to pick the pages up.

"I'm sorry, Severus," she apologized, even though the near-collision was as much his fault as hers.

He grunted in return, but didn't say anything. She took a quick glance at the notes as she handed him a stack.

"Working on your potions essay?" she asked.

"Condensing it is more accurate," he muttered.

"Wrote too much on the subject?" she looked into his face and smiled.

"I found a few... discrepancies in some information," he returned, taking advantage of their proximity to study her face, his eyes lingering on hers before wandering down to her lips.

"In the potions text?" she asked, trying to sound surprised.

"That, and a few other books in the library," he replied, as if the books, her normal source of information, were often and obviously horribly flawed.

"I'd love to see what you found," she said in genuine curiosity.

He looked her over twice before nodding.

"Great," she beamed. "Let me go grab a few things, and I'll meet you in the library."

"No. I'm going to go retrieve the books from the library. Pince doesn't like it when I try to disprove her precious books and usually finds a reason to kick me out. Let's meet in the empty classroom in the Charms corridor- third door on the right coming from Ravenclaw."

"Okay," she nodded, biting her lip. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

He turned and stalked off without a formal good-bye, but she wasn't expecting one. She ran to Ravenclaw, answered the riddle to open the door, and hurried to her dorm to grab a few books. She was about to leave again when Jennae waved her over.

"Where are you going? The library? If you wait a couple moments, I'll go with you," her friend said, starting to pack her things.

"Actually, I'm going to meet someone for... a study session," she replied.

Jennae had noticed the slight pause, and she smiled mischeviously. "Sirius Black finally manage to charm you, did he?"

"No!" she denied a little too loudly.

"I see. You don't want to admit he finally managed to charm his way into your good graces," she smirked as she stood, and they left the tower together.

"I assure you, Black did not charm his way into any of my graces, let alone my good ones. I want to do a little studying with someone who knows the subject a lot better than I."

Jennae cocked an eyebrow. "From what I've seen and heard, you are quite skilled in pretty much all the subjects. Seventh-year level in many of them. Who knows the subjects better than you?"

"I'm not as good as I appear, I've been working hard to impress the teachers so I'll get good marks when I return to Beauxbatons. I may have studied a little harder than usual. Now I want to keep up that image, and what better way to do so than by studying with some of the best and brightest? And I can hardly keep annoying you."

"You do not annoy me, but if you think there is someone better out there..." she trailed off with fake dramatics, trying to sound hurt but undermined with smile. "So who is this more intelligent person?"

"Just... someone I watched in Potions the other day. He seemed to know what he was doing."

Jennae looked as though she were thinking hard as they came to the Charms corridor. Hermione looked down to see Snape standing outside the room. They locked gazes for a moment, then he disappeared into the classroom. Hermione looked back at Jennae, who was looking at her with one eyebrow nearly in her hair.

"I told you it was someone who knows about potions. See you later," Hermione said quickly, hurrying down the hallway and going into the room without looking back. Severus looked up as she closed the door, and looked relieved.

"I thought you might have invited someone else," he muttered, setting the books out on a desk.

"I wouldn't dream of inviting someone without asking you. I know how highly you think of tutoring someone," she replied, not managing to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

"Now, now, play nice, or I'll return to Slytherin house, and you can study potions on your own."

She suppressed a giggle as she summoned a bench and sat across from him. "Now, what discrepancies did you find?"

"There's a lot of argument out there for the best way to prep different ingredients for brewing, and I've tested many of them. But when you look at the books it seems like none of them have the exact same process for each brew. I'd like to consolidate things into my book. I also have a list of current research, including my own, and I'd like to see how well it meshes with our text, which is woefully outdated."

She smiled slightly. The book hadn't been changed in her time. Obviously Severus didn't find another he liked any better. Perhaps if he survived the war he could write one.

"What would you like me to do?" she asked.

"I'd like you to help me look up some conflicting reports and give me your opinion on the matter. I want to see if you are as good as your confidence lead me to believe."

She rolled her eyes as he tossed a few pieces of paper in front of her, and with a thrill of excitement she remembered this being in the Half Blood Prince's book when Harry was doing so well in potions. The article was about the use of peppermint in potions, and the other piece of paper was an unchanged information and instructions for an Elixir to Induce Euphroia. Still, she looked over the potion and read the article twice before looking up at him. She wasn't surprised he was looking at her, but the intensity of his gaze was a little unexpected, and she was wondering how long he had been staring at her.

"A little bit of peppermint will probably get rid of the nose-tweaking and singing," she said as casually as possible, tossing the papers back at him.

He nodded approvingly. "I've got a theory about stirring potions, and I'm looking for evidence to back it up before I start testing."

"What's your theory?" she asked.

"I think some potions would be helped by the occasional counter-clockwise stir. Stirring in the same direction, while it has proven effective, I think causes ingredients to settle in the middle of the potion and be broken up less effectively. Of course, doing this might prove dangerous in some potions, but I think there is a benefit in many. If you would like, I have some books and articles to look over."

"Of course," she said, grabbing the first book he had nodded towards. "What am I looking for?"

"Potions with side effects that might be helped by a lesser dose of whatever ingredient caused that effect, or that require multiple straining steps to get the right consistency."

She jumped into the project, poring over books, carefully reading the side effects of each potion and comparing it to the list of ingredients, seeing if it could be attributed to any single item. She took careful notes, especially concerning some of the more volatile potions, and lost track of time in the process. When sitting on the bench too long was taking its toll, she let her head roll on her shoulders for a moment, then twisted her back, hearing a few cracks as she did.

"There's only forty-five minutes left in lunch. You should probably go get something," he said without looking up.

She checked her watch, and found he was right. "Aren't you going to get something."

"I am not hungry, and I'd rather work."

"You'd work better with a full stomach."

"You have no idea how I work."

"No, but I have the basic knowledge of the human body, and I know if you ate breakfast you did it well before I did, because you weren't there while I was eating, and I ran into you on my way back up to Ravenclaw from breakfast. So you haven't eaten in a while, and it is hard to concentrate on an empty stomach. So come on," she said, standing and placing her hands on her hips.

His eyes shot up and narrowed in a challenge, but she returned the gaze. "You are going to force me to go, aren't you?"

"Yes," she said forcefully.

"I don't want to leave my work out where anyone might come in and mess things up."

"We'll lock the door. I'm assuming you remember the spell, but I'll do it if you don't."

"I am quite able to lock a door," he snapped.

"Duly noted. Come on," she said, jerking her head towards the door.

He set his jaw and sat up straighter, as though he was unwilling to give up the fight, and she prepared herself to nag him into submission. But then he stood, and stiffly walked out the door, holding it for her as she walked through, looking at the floor to hide her triumphant smile. She waited as he closed the door and secured it, and walked towards the Great Hall with him. Because they were so late for lunch there were few students left in the Hall, many of whom were studying at the tables or playing games. He moved to sit at the Slytherin table, but she grabbed the sleeve of his robe, pulling him down the Ravenclaw table to where the food was still laid out. Two plates appeared as they sat down, and they served themselves. Despite Severus' insistence he was not hungry he eagerly began taking large spoonfuls of beef stew.

"So, you're obviously interested in potions," she said conversationally as she dipped some bread in her stew. "Are you thinking of making a career out of it?"

"Maybe," he shrugged. "It takes a lot to become a Potions Master."

"You would be able to become one easily. Or start brewing for someone. I bet St. Mungos would love to get someone with your talent on staff."

"It's a thought. I do like the subject, and Slughorn has enough contacts he could easily find me someone to study under if I wanted to keep going when school is out."

"It sounds like there's a 'but' you're leaving out."

"It's not my only subject of interest."

"What else do you like?" she asked, as if she didn't know which job he had coveted at school for so many years.

"Defense," he replied simply.

"Ah. Thinking of becoming an Auror?"

"Hardly," he snorted. "They have too high a mortality rate for my taste. Plus it is an occupation that tends to draw those I'd rather not have to spend my entire working career with."

"Like who?"

"Those with over-inflated egos, and quick to hex others. They have a certain self-importance, and like having the job to hide behind as they continue to do whatever they want."

She wanted to press him, but held her tongue. It wasn't hard to imagine who he might be talking about, James and Sirius seemed to be the type to have aspirations of becoming an Auror.

"Are you really thinking of becoming a curse-breaker?" he asked.

"It's an exciting profession, one that would help me get out and see the world a little bit. I love to travel, and it would be nice to be able to go to some of the most exotic places in the world on someone else's dime," she shrugged.

"Have you done any traveling?"

"A little. All over France with my parents. Once to Italy, another time to Spain. Quite a bit of camping, as my father is a fan."

He smirked, and made a production of stirring his stew to find the bits of meat.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm trying to picture you camping like a Muggle. It's not coming up a pretty picture."

"Hey!" she laughed. "I'll have you know I'm quite experienced at camping."

"You look like the type to call living in a rented cabin 'camping'."

"Believe whatever you want about how I look, but I have practically lived in a tent, cooked food over an open fire, washed clothes in a stream, and all the fun that goes with it. I know it's a little easier for witches and wizards, as our tents are more akin to rented cabins, but I certainly know how to camp."

"You probably just nagged people into submission to do your camping for you."

"You are quite charming, aren't you?" she sighed. "Have you ever been camping?"

"I've never had the opportunity or the inclination."

"Good. Because you certainly don't seem the type to be able to camp," she smirked.

"I could camp if I wanted to. I just don't see the appeal."

"Perhaps you should go sometime. It can be quite cathartic to be away from everything."

"I'll take your word for it."

"Your loss,"she said, finishing her lunch. "Are you ready to get back to potions?"

He stood, offering an arm like a gentleman. "This way, Miss Puckle."

"Careful, Severus," she said as she smiled and took his proffered arm. "You act like this, and I may think you actually have a bit of gentleman in you."

"Don't tell anyone," he muttered as they left the Great Hall together. When they returned to the Charms classroom she pointed her wand at her bench before sitting.

"What was that for?" he asked, taking the seat opposite her.

"Cushioning charm. So my arse doesn't go numb again."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Another few hours on that bench and you'll be wanting one, too. Unless you want one now. Or to come join me."

"I'm perfectly fine, thanks," he replied, shifting a few times to prove his point.

"Suit yourself," she smiled. After an hour and a half he was shifting uncomfortably, but not saying anything. She considered casting the charm without him asking, but decided she could help him better by forcing him to ask for assistance if he needed some. Maybe that was one way she could help him later, though she wasn't sure how it would save his life.

Another hour and he was constantly shifting, his discomfort reading on his face. Scowling he stood up and stretched a few times, then came to her side and dropped unceremoniously next to her, purposefully ignoring the smug look on her face.

"Let me see what you have so far," he demanded, holding his hand out for her notes.

She handed them over and watched as he carefully studied her writing. "Arse feel better?" she asked after a few minutes, noticing he hadn't shifted once since sitting down.

"I'll ask you not to talk about my arse," he muttered. "And yes."

"You're welcome," she replied, biting her lip to contain a snarkier retort.

They talked about their findings and worked side by side for a few more hours, until the smells of dinner enticed them down the stairs.

"Would you like to do more work on this tomorrow?" she asked.

"You have proven you work quite quickly. I think I have enough notes to go into the testing phase."

"Would you like some help?"

"No," he shook his head emphatically. "I prefer to brew alone, especially when it's outside of class."

"Okay," she replied, trying not to sound too disappointed. "Will you at least tell me how things go?"

"Of course. It would be quite rude for me to ignore such assistance."

"Good," she smiled, then bid him good-bye before he had a chance to walk off to the Slytherin table without saying it. She hurried along the table to where Jennae, Selena, and Danielle were sitting. Danielle and Selena were debating Quidditch, much to Hermione's annoyance. Jennae waited until the argument got heated, and thus, louder, to turn to Hermione and ask in a whisper, "Did you spend all day with Severus Snape?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, as though this was no big deal.

"Why?"

"We were studying potions."

"He never studies with anyone."

"It wasn't studying so much as I was helping him with something."

"That's even more odd."

"He really tested my knowledge before he let me help, if that's any consolation."

She frowned. "It's not that I doubt you're smart enough to help. It's just odd that he's letting you help. He's the solitary type."

"It's not fun to be alone for too long," she shrugged.

The last time she saw Snape he locked gazes with her and nodded as he left the Great Hall.

_Not bad,_ she thought as she watched him disappear down the stairs to the dungeons. _This is a lot closer than I would have ever been able to get to _Professor_ Snape. Still, I only have twenty-seven days. And I still don't have a definite plan._

She stayed awake in bed that night, trying to figure out what she needed to do, but inspiration eluded her, and that night she dreamed of Snape being attacked in the Shrieking Shack and dying in front of her. She tried to get to him to help, but Harry dragged her out of the room and back to the battle. She was so distracted she found herself face to face with Bellatrix, who somehow wound up sitting astride her again, the same dagger that carved 'mudblood' into her arm now coming down at her throat. She woke up with her face buried in her pillow to stifle her scream, but she could see Jennae was looking at her in concern.

"Bad dream," she managed in a raspy voice.

"Sure sounded like one," Jennae said, concern thick in her voice. "Anything you want to talk about?"

"No. Sorry I woke you."

"It's alright. The offer still stands if you dream again."

"Thanks," she said with a smile before closing the curtains around her bed. She cast silencing charms and slid back into a restless sleep. When she finally woke up the next morning she realized that the glamour charm had faded, and her scars looked nearly fresh. Cursing she dug out the piece of paper she had written the charm Dumbledore used on, and covered them back up. She hurried to breakfast, hoping she was early enough to catch Snape and offer to help him again. She was in the Great Hall all throughout lunch, but he didn't appear then, either. He didn't even come down for dinner, and she was growing concerned. The whole day felt wasted. It wasn't until she was getting ready for bed that she got any indication he was still alive. An owl was pecking at the window in the dorm as she returned from her shower, and Jennae let it it, handing her the small scroll it was carrying.

_Puckle-_

_Experiments on the Draught of Living Death have proven successful. _

_Thank you again for your assistance._

_-S_

_At least he's not dead, and he made progress, _she thought as she climbed into bed. But that didn't change the fact that it was a day wasted, and she only had twenty-six left.


	7. Falling Into Place

**A/N: Here I am, up late, because I wanted to make sure I updated on Snape's birthday. I'm in with 45 minutes to spare in my time! I love close calls.**

At their potions lesson the next day Severus didn't shoot her sideways glance, make a snide comment, or even roll his eyes as Hermione slid into the seat next to him, but he didn't greet her with more than a nod, either. She had been running late, so she didn't manage anything but a quick greeting before Slughorn entered the room. He put the name of a memory potion on the board and instructed them to begin.

Hermione carefully laid out her potion-making kit, hoping that Severus took note of her care in the subject.

"Would you like me to pick you up your supplies when I go to the stores?" she asked, standing up.

"I never let anyone pick up supplies for me," he muttered, though she doubted that anyone had ever offered before, and he followed her to the storage cabinet in the back of the room. Because each of them had taken their time in setting up they were the last two to go gather their ingredients.

"Don't use that one," he said as she pulled out a Jobberknoll feather.

"Excuse me?"

"You want one with a clean nub," he said, showing her a small clump of cells on the bottom of the feather she had pulled out. "Where Slughorn gets these does a half-job of it, so you have to pay attention to them. Maybe one of four will be clean enough for proper use," he continued, pulling out several, studying them, and handing one to her and setting one aside for himself before putting the rest back.

"Can't I just clean the nub myself?"

"You could, but after a while it starts to rot the root, and that makes it less effective. Your memory potion will still work, but it'll be less powerful and wear off quicker."

"I see," she said, noting that none of the information was contained in Advanced Potion Making, though there was a chance it was scribbled somewhere in the Half Blood Prince's copy.

They brought their stuff back to the table, where they were careful not to mix work spaces. They worked side by side in studious silence for a while until Severus suddenly spoke.

"Half inch cuts will work," he said as she prepared to cut up her ginger roots.

"But it says quarter inches," she protested.

"It will stew down easily and start breaking itself apart. That will work better, as it'll have almost a second release as it does. It will strengthen the potion and allow for it to work over a longer term."

She hesitated, then started cutting the ginger in half inch cuts. She added them and started to stir. Moments later the potion turned the smooth grass-green color it was supposed to be, and she exhaled. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as they both worked. It was almost like a dance, the way he carefully added ingredients, stirred in a fluid motion, stared hard at the surface to check the color, then add a little more of one thing or another. It was beautiful in a way. If it was that stunning to watch while he was a mere student, it must be a sight when he became a full Master, and she was hoping she'd get the chance to see it one day beyond the simple potions he taught to the students.

"Wonderful looking, as always, Severus!" Slughorn's voice suddenly broke her concentration.

"Thank you, sir," he replied in forced politeness.

"And Miss Puckle," he said, gazing into her cauldron and smiling widely. "I have heard you have a fondness for giving Mister Snape a run for his money, and I see you deserve that rumor," he chuckled. "I say both of you are well on your way to top marks."

"Thank you, sir," she smiled.

"There are ten minutes left in class!" he announced to the group. "Please start preparing your potion for storage."

Hermione cast a stasis charm on her potion, then cooled off her cauldron and the contents so she could put it into a jar and store it. She labeled her potion and started towards the back when she felt a hand close on her robes.

"You don't want to put it back there," Severus said in a low voice.

"That's where we're supposed to store it," she replied.

"Put it back there and someone from my house will switch your label with theirs, and Slughorn is head of Slytherin. He's not above believing someone from his own house over you. Just store it down here," he said, checking to make sure no one was looking, and she saw they were two of the last in the room. He ducked to a cabinet half-hidden behind the work station. He muttered "runespoor" while waving his wand, and the cabinet popped open. He took his potion and hers, as well as both of their supplies, and stored them inside, then sealed it back up.

"Is it safe down there?" she asked.

"No one thinks it opens. I've made sure it's safe," he shot back.

"Thank you," she said as she walked out the door with him. "For teaching me about the Joberknoll feather and the ginger root. It really seems to make a difference."

"If you do a bit of research and take the time to play around with ingredients you'll be surprised to find how often Advanced Potion Making seems like it was written by beginners," he told her.

"Do you do a lot of potions outside the classroom? Or is it mostly research like Saturday?"

"A few potions," he said in a tone that made it clear he wasn't going to discuss what potions or where.

"I just wanted to let you know that if there's anything you need, let me know."

"Non-verbal spells," he said immediately.

"Have you been practicing them outside of class?"

"Yes."

"You're still having problems?"

"Unless I'm angry or upset I am still having problems with them," he said.

"Well, we have a little time right now, so I feel up to doing a little work. How about you?"

"Right now?"

"I believe that's what I said."

He studied her, then nodded. They swung by the Great Hall on their way outside, grabbing sandwiches and pouring hot chocolate into thermoses they had conjured up. Then they walked out onto the grounds as they ate the sandwiches, walked past Hagrid's hut, to an open area between the lake and the Forest that was hidden at the bottom of a hill from the castle. She placed her backpack on a rock and pulled him away from it.

"Summon it," she ordered.

"_Accio_," he said, waving his wand. The backpack sped towards him, and he caught it in his hand and held it out to her, looking annoyed.

"My mistake," she said, rolling her eyes and levitating the backpack back to the rock. "Summon it _silently_."

"If I could do you think I'd be asking you for help?" he growled.

"You have it in you or you wouldn't have been able to send non-verbal hexes at me the other day. The key is to not over-think it. Remember what it's like doing the regular spell, focus on that feeling, and it'll just happen."

"Right," he grumbled, turning towards the backpack. He concentrated, waving his wand at the backpack, which wobbled feebly before flopping on its side and staying put.

"Right, then," Hermione murmured, biting her lip and thinking hard. "Motivation. We need to find you some motivation that doesn't involve making you angry."

"I have no problem performing nonverbal magic while angry," he pointed out.

"Merlin knows how unpleasant you'd be if you were angry all the time," she shot back, unable to contain the smirk that crossed her face. "And I could probably make you so in under a minute…"

"You're already halfway there."

"You're lucky you're such a charmer, Severus, or you might never get a girl to spend time with you," she rolled her eyes. "Now, back to motivation. Hogsmeade weekend is coming up. How about if you summon the backpack I'll buy you a drink in the Three Broomsticks."

He eyed her skeptically. "Why in the world would you want to go to the Three Broomsticks with me?"

"For your rapier wit and pleasant personality, I suppose. Couldn't have anything to do with wanting to spend time with you, like friends have a tendency to do."

He stared at her for a long moment. "You consider me your friend?"

"This would be rather awkward if we were enemies, wouldn't it?" she asked, gesturing towards the backpack.

"You're assuming those are the only two options."

"They aren't, for normal people. But I hardly consider either of us normal."

"Speak for yourself, Puckle."

"If you don't want the drink I can go drink by myself, then."

He gazed at her one more time before turning to the backpack and waving his wand again. This time the bag jumped several feet towards him. He waved his wand a few more times before he let off a snarl and the bag flew towards him, nearly knocking him over when it collided with him.

"You got angry," she said, prying the bag from him. "But you did it a bit before you got frustrated at your lack of progress. If you keep getting angry, and then performing the spells non-verbally, then you are going to learn to get angry so you can perform the spell. You need to learn how to do it without being upset."

He took a few deep breaths as she placed the bag back on the rock. She thought about it for a moment, then said "How about I up the ante? If you managed to summon the bag by a non-verbal spell without doing it out of frustration or anger not only will I buy you a drink, I'll… get up on the table and sing the Hogwarts school song."

His eyebrow raised nearly to his hairline. "You must have no confidences in my abilities."

"I thought it would be motivation enough without me having to do something grossly inappropriate," she replied, smiling warmly at him and jutting her hip out slightly. "If you don't think you can do it…"

He responded by waving his wand at the bag, which jumped nearly halfway to him. He raised his wand to do it again, and it flew towards him, but suddenly changed course and flew to the side. They watched as it was caught neatly by Sirius's waiting hand.

"I'll admit to whispering the charm," Sirius beamed, walking towards them. "So I won't make you sing the song. But I'd be honoured if you accompanied me to the Three Broomsticks, love. I'll even pay for the drinks."

"The offer was person-specific," Hermione shot back. "And you weren't the person."

"But I'm so much more than that person," he replied with a charming smile. "It should count for something."

"I don't happen to measure worth by the number of panting witches one has in his wake."

"Ouch, Padfoot," James chuckled. "It sounds like Puckle here isn't charmed by your devilishly good looks."

"Is that true, love?" Sirius asked her. "Because I could not wash for a few days and look like Snivellous over there if that's your thing."

"Not likely. You'd still have the personality of the north end of a south-heading Hippogriff," she replied.

"She seems to have your number, Padfoot," Remus smiled.

"Shut it, Moony," Sirius growled. "Well, Puckle. How about this? We skip the Three Broomsticks all together and just spend our time at Madam Puddifoots."

"How about not, Sirius," she replied. "I have plans with Severus."

"Honestly, Puckle, what do you see in Snivellous? You can obviously do so much better."

After he said it the backpack jerked itself from his hands, flying quickly to the outstretched hand of Severus. "Leave," he ordered, venom thick in his voice.

"We have the right to go wherever we want, Snivellous," Sirius replied casually. "I just so happen to want to be right here."

"Good. All yours, then," Hermione said, grabbing Snape's sleeve, tossing him his bag, and pulling him back towards the castle. "Prats," she spat as soon as they were out of hearing range of the Marauders.

"I don't need you to fight my battles for me," Snape snapped.

"I wasn't aware I was fighting your battles," she replied. "In case you missed it, Sirius was hitting on me, not you."

"He was doing it to get me upset."

"Sounds like he achieved that goal."

Severus let off a snarl and sped up towards the castle. She let him get several paces ahead before she wordlessly summoned her backpack, which was still clutched in his hand. He spun around as it was torn from his grasp, staring at her incredulously.

"If you wanted to copy my Defense notes all you have to do is ask. I remember what you said about yours," she said, hand on her hip.

He waved his wand, and the backpack flew from her hand back to his. He looked at her with a smirk. "Like I would want your pitiful Defense notes."

"Don't you go insulting my note-taking," she huffed, jogging to him. "I could copy a teacher word-for-word if I desired."

"With a Quick Quotes Quill, maybe."

"First you try to steal my backpack, then you insult me. You really are charming, aren't you, Severus?" she said with a smile.

They found an empty classroom and practiced until the end of the lunch break. Hermione waited until the last minute to announce she had to leave.

"Let me get your bag for you," he said, waving his wand. Without a word he waved his wand, and the bag flew across the room. He had to half-dive to get it, but it didn't hit the ground, and he held it out to her with a triumphant smile across his face. Or, at least what passes for a triumphant smile for Snape, who never seemed to show his teeth when he smiled.

"Thanks, Severus," she smiled as she shouldered her bag. "Would you like to practice a bit more after dinner?"

"How about we discuss it on your way to class?" he asked, offering her his arm.

"Am I on your way?" she asked.

"I have an open period."

She smiled and took his arm, and he started leading her towards Transfiguration.

"I have Astronomy tonight, so I won't be able to study for very long, but we may be able to squeeze an hour or an hour and a half if we eat dinner early."

She bit her lip. "I'm supposed to have dinner with Jennae, Danielle, and Selena today, but we may be able to go a bit early if I claim I'm famished."

"Give them that whole speech you gave me the other day about your body functioning best if you eat properly."

"I hardly consider that a speech if it's true."

"It may be true, but it's still nagging."

She huffed.

"You're quite easy to rile, aren't you?"

"Perhaps it's just you," she sneered.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you don't," she smiled, shaking her head.

They turned the corner into the Transfiguration corridor, and Severus reached across to place his hand on top of hers. His back straightened a little bit, and his lips up-curved slightly. It looked unnatural, and it confused her until she saw the Marauders waiting outside the classroom, and she forced herself not to laugh. One declaration of friendship and Severus had suddenly gotten possessive. He was going to show the Marauders that she had chosen him over them, and while things might not be romantic it was sure to irritate Sirius to make it appear that things were swinging that way. She played along a bit, laughing a little too long at something he said and moving a little closer to him. She had her own motive- if Sirius thought she was serious about Severus perhaps he'd give up pursuing her, but she doubted it.

"I'll see you after dinner, then?" she asked when they got in hearing range.

"I'm looking forward to it," he nodded.

She reached up, pushing his hair behind his ear. "Goodbye, Severus."

"Bye, Hermione," he patted her hand and walked down the hallway.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Sirius groaned.

She pretended like she didn't hear.

"James!" a female voice called behind her, and she turned to see Lily run past her to stand in front of Harry's dad. "Where exactly did those chocolates come from?"

"I thought you'd be appreciative of the gift, Evans," James responded, rustling his hair.

"James Potter..." she crossed her hair and gave him a look that reminded Hermione of the look Ginny would give when she was insisting someone get something done.

"Honeydukes."

"We haven't had a Honeydukes trip in over a month."

"Is it beyond comprehension that I bought them last time and was just waiting for the right moment too give them to you?"

"Completely beyond comprehension."

"It hurts me you have no faith in me," he sighed, not sounding a bit wounded. "Hey, Evans, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

He turned her towards Hermione and smiled. "This is Hermione Puckle. She's visiting from Beauxbatons."

"And she is quite the little spitfire," Sirius added, moving to stand next to Hermione. This time she was prepared for when he tried to put his arm around her, and she skillfully ducked and moved away.

"Pleasure to meet you," Lily smiled kindly, reaching a hand out. Hermione felt her features freeze in as friendly of a look as she could muster as her heart broke and she shook Harry's mum's hand.

"Pleasure," she whispered.

"How are you liking Hogwarts."

"It's nice."

"It would be so much nicer if she knew the kind of company to keep," Sirius said loudly.

"Stop, Black," Hermione hissed.

"Lily used to have the same affliction, but she got smart and ditched him."

"Enough!"

"What did I get smart to?" Lily asked.

"Snivellous. Hermione here has been spending too much time with him."

Lily looked at her in surprise, and forced a smile. "She's not your property, Sirius."

"I've been working on that, but she's been resisting."

"I have no interest in being anyone's _property,_" Hermione growled.

"You have no idea how good you would have it if you were mine," Sirius said with a charming, lopsided smile.

"I don't think I could take the sheer amount of ego," she replied, before excusing herself and hurrying towards Jennae, who had just walked up. As they were walking into the room Hermione looked back at Lily one more time, and found the redhead studying her, concern deep in her eyes. She suddenly felt there was something she didn't know about Harry's mum, something that had to do with Severus, and something she'd have to find out before she'd be able to save Snape's life.


	8. The Assignment

Hermione ate with her new friends, as promised, and they were having a discussion about an article Selena found in Witch Weekly when the copy of the Daily Prophet that Hermione's elbow was resting on suddenly jerked out from underneath, flying towards the Slytherin table. She smiled despite herself as she stood.

"I'll see you in the common room in a little bit, yeah?" she asked her friends, who nodded with identical smirks on their faces.

"Have fun," Jennae muttered.

She strode over to the Slytherin table, where Severus was sitting, facing away from her, having just struck up a conversation with an amused-looking Lucius.

"I wasn't done reading that," she said, putting her hands on her hips and sighing.

Severus looked up, trying to look surprised, but failing. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't they teach manners in Slytherin? First you steal my backpack, then the paper from under my elbow..."

"Borrowed," he corrected.

"Sure. Borrowed. Without permission. And at least you're admitting to it. Did he say the incantation?" she asked, turning to Lucius.

"He was completely silent, my dear," Lucius smiled warmly at her.

"There's that at least," she sighed. "Did you need something, Snape?"

"I thought you were going to help me practice my non-verbals. You never said you had to be _aware_ that you were helping me."

She rolled her eyes. "Is this your way of telling me you want to work on your non-verbals?"

"Yes, please," he said, standing.

She rolled her eyes, but a smile spread across her face. "Promise me you'll teach him how to properly ask for something?" she asked Lucius.

"I will remind him to mind his manners around the fairer sex," Lucius smiled again. Father and son may be just as prejudiced as each other, but where Draco was mean-spirited and snarky, Lucius was charming, though to those who he didn't deem worth his time he would come across as more aloof, and in later years, downright condescending. Lucius could teach Draco a thing or two about subtlety, though the younger Malfoy was much more prone to wear his emotions on his sleeve. Even the smile Lucius was giving her had a hint of indifference hidden inside.

"Thank you," she nodded. "Let's go, Severus. Merlin forbid I don't indulge your impatience any longer."

"What were you talking about that was so damn important?" he asked as they started to walk out of the hall.

"We were discussing an article," she replied vaguely, shoving the magazine in her bag.

"Some sort of female-friendly dribble, no doubt."

"In case you failed to notice, I happen to be female."

He took the opportunity to steal a sideways glance at her chest. "I did so happen to notice. However, I would have thought you were above such gossip."

"I assure you, the article we were reading was decidedly not gossip. I really don't give a damn whoever the latest wizard rock band is shagging, thank you very much."

"Well, what were you reading?" he asked, pulling out the magazine and starting to flip the pages. She made a grab for it, but he pulled it away from her, and held it out of her reach.

"Give it back!" she growled, reaching for it again.

"Tell me what you were reading," he smirked.

She drew her wand, and flicked it at the magazine, which was torn from his grip. She stuffed it deep into the bottom of her bag and fastened the top. "I have no inclination, nor do I see a single reason, to tell you."

"That bad?" he asked, with his eyebrow raising.

"You won't find out," she shrugged. She had no desire to admit to him that the article was all about recognizing if 'that special wizard' was interested in you, and that Danielle had brought it up to prove that Severus was obviously wanting more than friendship. Hermione skillfully rebuked most of the checklist, and diverted the rest by dismissively repeating, "If I want an example of a wizard wanting my attention, I'll spend some time around Sirius Black."

They hid in an unused classroom, and Severus, who felt comfortable enough summoning things, started to try to banish them as well. Hermione kept an eye on the clock, and it wasn't too long before she announced it was time for him to get to Astronomy or he'd be late. They started towards the Astronomy Tower, and Hermione caught him looking at her again.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" she asked.

"Did you really want to go to Hogsmeade with me, or did you just say you did to get rid of Black?"

"I _want_ to go, Severus," she said with an exasperated sigh. "I haven't been out for fun in a while, and I could use a break. So, yes, I'd like to go to Hogsmeade. And I like spending time with you. I thought the two activities might mesh well."

A flash of a smile crossed his face. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course," she smiled at him, and lightly touched his forearm before hurrying off towards Ravenclaw tower. Jennae, Danielle, and Selena were at a table together, so Hermione slid into the extra seat, reaching into her bag for her Herbology homework.

"So," Danielle asked, not looking up from her work, but a mischievous smile playing across her lips. "Where were we in that checklist?"

"Somewhere around 'he tries to get your attention in public'," Selena helpfully answered.

"Funny, that sounds familiar."

"I think an example might be stealing your magazine so you're forced to interact with him in order to get it back."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she tossed the magazine on the table. "I got it back."

"And disappeared for a couple hours."

"We were working on non-verbals."

"Is that what they call it now? Well, I guess it must be difficult to talk when you're passionately snogging..."

She was cut off as Hermione hit her with a silencing charm.

"Does anyone have their copy of 1000 Magical Herbs and Fungi, or do I have to run upstairs and get mine?" she said nonchalantly.

"Hermione..." Jennae scolded, stifling a giggle.

"Fine," she sighed, lifting the charm a little more dramatically than needed. "But can we drop the subject of Severus and I?"

"You have to see where our curiosity comes from. Severus Snape is not very friendly, especially with non-Slytherins..."

"We've only ever seen him spend any real time with one," Danielle added.

"...And you show up and within a week you two are spending nearly all your free time together."

"Because we're _friends_," Hermione sighed. "Nothing more."

"And that's the strange part. He doesn't make friends easily, and yet you managed."

"Would you like to know how I did it? Here's the story. We got to talking during our detention. Found we had some common interests. Met a few times, kept talking, and it grew into a friendship. It's nothing more. Most of what we do together is work on school assignments. You've said it before, he doesn't like to be second-best in anything. I bested him in something. He's probably working with me so he can best me."

"So that's really it?" Selena asked, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Yes. We're not off snogging in darkened hallways. We're not meeting up for lovers trysts in the Astronomy tower. We're simply talking when we're not working on school work. If you don't believe me, you can come with next time. We've been working mostly on non-verbal spells."

"Voluntarily work with Snape? I'd rather not. You might be on his good side, but I have a feeling if we came along he might not be welcomed with open arms."

"Suit yourself."

The topic quickly switched to their Herbology assignment, and by the time they got up from the table they each had much more than the required fifteen inches completed. Hermione helped put away some of the books they had borrowed from the shelves that framed the common room, and together they climbed the stairs. Danielle and Selena left to take showers, leaving Hermione and Jennae to get changed.

"It's just novel to them, you know," Jennae said, pulling her nightdress down to cover her knees as she sat on Hermione's bed. "You and Severus. It's so weird to see him... I guess I'd call it happy. It's certainly not surly, which is what we're used to from him."

"He can still be surly," Hermione nodded. "And rude, condescending, and occasionally nearly insufferable, but he's just a reserved person. I'll admit, it's not the easiest friendship I've ever had, but it's certainly interesting."

"If it makes you happy, I'm certainly not trying to discourage you. I can't honestly say I know him very well, most of what I know is based on rumors and his general attitude."

"I know this is going to sound odd, but I think I'm seeing a side of him that explains, well, a lot."

"Well, better you than me."

Hermione chuckled.

"Well, if he does lose his temper at you, I'll be here to verbally bash him, as I would any man who was toying with you."

"Could you get rid of Sirius Black for me?"

Jennae laughed. "I've never had cause to ditch a boy. I'm not quite sure how."

"You've never had a boyfriend?"

"Never felt the need," she shrugged. "I'm more concerned about my school work."

"Would you go out with a boy if one asked?"

"I guess. Depending on the boy. I don't think I'd much like Sirius, either. He's too arrogant for my taste."

"Arrogance is a turn off? I guess trying to convince Lucius Malfoy to leave Narcissa for you is out, then?"

"I think you can pretty much cut the whole of Slytherin house off the list."

"Is there anyone who has caught your eye?"

"Well... there is one, but I don't know if he really would be interested."

"Come off it," she smiled, though a good part of it was because she realized it was the first time she ever really had anything that might qualify as 'girl talk' with her dorm-mates since she had come to Hogwarts, and it was fun seeing as it wasn't anything like how Lavender and Pavarti usually kept her up gossiping and trading tricks they were using with boys.

"Oh, alright, but don't say anything to Danielle or Selena."

"I promise."

"Bertram Aubrey."

"Bertram Aubrey," Hermione repeated slowly. She remembered the name from somewhere, but couldn't remember where, just that it had something to do with Harry.

"He's a seventh year in this house. He's kind of known for accidentally knocking Sirius Black off his broom during a Quidditch match. James and Sirius got back at him by swelling his head to twice its normal size."

"Oh," Hermione giggled, remembering where she had heard the name. Harry had grumbled about the record he had read of his father and godfather's misdeed. She had originally waved off his complaints, noting that very few students got out of Hogwarts without a detention, and in the end blowing up someone's head wasn't that big a deal. It hardly warranted even a visit to the hospital wing if the victim was in the vicinity of a teacher who knew the counter curse. "Ever talk to him?"

"Once or twice."

"And?"

"It's all been about school work."

"Ah, well, that does seem like it might be a bad habit of Ravenclaws."

"It's nothing doing, Hermione. I don't feel the need to have a boyfriend right now."

"I understand the feeling."

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

"Depends on your definition of that term. I've been out with a couple boys. I spent most of a term with one, but there was a bit of a language barrier and I wouldn't say it was anything serious. But it was fun."

"Language barrier?" she asked, sounding interested.

"Erm... foreign Quidditch player."

"Really?" she smiled. "Which one?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Oh, please?"

"No," she hissed as she heard Danielle and Selena coming up the stairs. Jennae pouted for a second, but was smiling as their friends entered the room.

"Well, I might not be an expert on much, but I'm willing to listen," she said softly, and Hermione went to bed, forgetting about the future long enough to forgo the nightmares for a night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Very good, Miss Puckle," Slughorn said with a chuckle as he looked into her cauldron at her nearly completed memory potion. He turned and clapped a hand on Snape's shoulder. To Severus' credit he barely even winced as he added his last ingredient. "Tell me, m'boy, are you helping her do the work?"

Severus looked at her, and shook his head once. "She is quite skilled on her own," he said.

"That she is. You must enjoy having another talented potioneer working alongside you."

"The company is not unwelcome," he glanced at her with a half-smile.

"Ah," Slughorn said, looking between them with a twinkle in his eye. "I think now would be a good time to ask you all to get into pairs for your next assignment."

"Partners?" Hermione asked, nudging Severus' foot with hers.

"I guess," he replied with an exaggerated sigh.

"I will be handing out a list of six topics. Each of them will require significant research, collaboration, a thirty-inch written portion, and a practical portion to be completed during class time. Once you are done with your memory potion you may leave it with me and use the rest of your class time choosing your topic and getting to work."

There was a collective groan as sheets of parchment appeared on their stations between each pair. Hermione snatched it before Snape could and skimmed the topics. But it was sixth on the list that caught her eye:

_Explain the properties, development, storage, and application of antivenins to magical creatures, as well as time frames and dosages in a general case. Produce an antivenin to Doxy venom during the practical._

If Dumbledore didn't plan her coming back for this, it was damn good luck this assignment just happened to be on the agenda for her time with Severus. She had to convince him to work on the antivenin. Unfortunately for her it was one of the more boring topics. Doxy antivenin was commercially available, and Severus would have no interest in it whatsoever. She needed a few minutes to think, so she folded the paper and put it into her bag.

"Shall we go to the library?" she asked Severus as they bottled their memory potions for grading and started cleaning their stations.

"Seems a logical first step," he nodded.

Fifteen minutes later they were hidden in a back corner of the library, blank parchment and random books strewn across the unused half of the table to assure themselves some privacy, despite the library being nearly devoid of students.

"The list?" he demanded, holding his hand out to her. Reluctantly she gave it to him, and waited a moment for him to skim the topics.

"I think we should do number six," she started, and as expected he frowned.

"Antivenins? They've all been discovered. I'd much rather work on number three, the legal ramifications of polyjuice potion, how to recognize when someone's using it..."

"Polyjuice?" she sighed. "You could probably make a batch of polyjuice potion in your second year, had you access to the instructions."

"It's really the only one on here I haven't worked with, besides the antivenins, and as I said, they've all been discovered."

"How do you know that?" she asked. "Muggles are finding new creatures all the time. Who's to say in twenty years we're not going to find some giant ruddy snake no one has an antivenin for yet?"

"On the off chance that happens..." he raised an eyebrow.

"Please, Severus," she cut him off, placing a hand on his. "I know about polyjuice potion. I know a user has to take a drink at least once an hour, so a long-term user will need to carry a flask of it around. I know about precautions to take if you think someone might not be who they say they are. Besides, the potion takes a bloody month. That's a lot of down time in Potions class, or a lot of time trusting it in Slughorn's room with idiotic first years."

He still looked conflicted, so she decided to use her last resort. 'Flirty' had never come easy to her, but she thought she could fake it well enough, and if most women she had talked to could be believed it was quite the effective tool to push a man over the edge. She rubbed his fingers a little, put on her most charming smile, and leaned towards him a little.

"I'm really interested in antivenins. I haven't studied them before, and I think it would be fun. Plus, I could write a polyjuice essay by myself. I'd much rather spend the time here, with you, working together," she finished, biting her lip and trying to look pleading without looking pathetic. Apparently it worked. Severus glanced at their hands, his eyes trailing slowly over her until they found hers again. He swallowed hard and nodded.

"Great!" she beamed. "Would you like me to find some books?"

"Sure," he said quickly.

She left him at the table for a few minutes as she tracked down a few books they needed. When she returned she noticed he had shoved the other books to the side of the table opposite him, so she would either have to move them or sit next to him. She smiled and took the seat next to him, laying the books she had found between them.

"I thought I could start on properties, and you might try to find information on development?"

"Okay," he nodded, barely glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

She opened the nearest book and started flipping pages, without actually looking at them. Instead she was thinking, and staring at Severus. He wasn't conventionally handsome, there was no doubt about that. But now that her opinions of him weren't tainted with seven years of dislike she realized he did have a few good features. He had sharp facial features, but they weren't pointed, like Draco's, or severe like McGonagall's. While not athletic, he certainly wasn't as skinny as his elder counterpart. And there was a little more color to his face, as though he actually saw the sun on occasion. But mostly she was captivated with his eyes. She had never really thought about how expressive his eyes were before, how his emotions poured through them. One glance was all it took to tell her if he was angry or upset, as there was a fire behind them as though it was a warning. Anything suspicious would earn a narrow, unyielding glare. When he was happy there was a softness to them, and she could tell they had a touch of brown to the black. Severus, even in this time, was good at hiding his emotions from afar, but she was learning that if she wanted to know how he was truly feeling she just had to look at his eyes. As if he knew she was thinking about his eyes his head snapped up and their gazes met. She blushed and turned back to her book.

They worked for a few hours, checked out some books they found useful, and started down towards the Great Hall for lunch. As soon as they were out of the library she took Severus' arm. He looked down at her hand in surprise.

"In case Black shows up somewhere," she shrugged.

A sincere smile crossed his lips, and this time it held as he straightened up a little bit and they led her down the hallway. She realized as they walked that, while there was nothing between them, and acting upon it would be a horrid idea, she was beginning to fancy Severus.


	9. Past Events

When Hermione woke up the next day the sun had yet to rise above the horizon, though by the colors painting the sky it wasn't too far off. She decided to get an early start to her day, and gathered her things to take a shower. After she got dressed carefully to not wake her roommates up, and went downstairs to get breakfast. She was one of the first into the Great Hall; most of the others were fifth years or seventh years who needed every minute they could get to study for the OWLs or NEWTs. She found an empty section of table, sat, and fixed herself a plate of food. While she ate she opened one of the potions books and started flipping through it, looking for information that might help them complete their potions assignment.

"I have that book," Severus' voice preceded him, and he sat down next to her. "I looked through it last night. There wasn't as much as I had hoped."

"Thank you for saving me the trouble, then," she smiled as she closed the book and busied herself putting it away. "You're up early."

"Not as early as you, obviously," he pointed out, buttering a piece of toast.

"I got to bed early last night. I haven't gotten a full night sleep in a while. I think I got seven hours, which is a lot for me," she pointed out, looking up at him, and she was startled by what she saw. Severus looked... different. His hair didn't look as greasy as usual, in fact, it looked more shiny than greasy, though it was hard to get a good look at it, since he had tied it back with a leather holder he must have borrowed off Lucius. For the first time she got an unobstructed look at his face. He was looking at her, a hint of concern in his eyes, and she smiled widely, which earned a quick smile in return.

"You need to get more sleep," he noted.

"Are you telling me you get much more?"

"I said nothing of the sort. But that doesn't mean either one of us is getting what we should."

"Well, this was a pleasant morning conversation about how neither one of us gets adequate amounts of sleep. Should we move on to hygiene habits? Or, perhaps, our vices?"

"You have a vice?"

"I may, but you'll never know."

"You don't like to offer me much personal information."

"You want personal information? How about this? I once set my professor's robes on fire, but I was too afraid to tell him I was sorry because he was such a cantankerous prat I was sure I'd be in detention for the rest of my life if he knew it was me."

"Really?" he smiled.

"Every damn word."

"Why would you set your professor on fire?"

"I thought he was trying to hurt my friend."

"And your instinct was to set him on fire?"

"My instinct was to try to get him to stop hurting Ha... my friend."

"But you said he was _trying_ to hurt your friend."

"He knocked into the one who was actually hurting my friend."

"Remind me to never be suspicious around you. I don't want to wind up on fire."

She looked at him, forcing herself not to smile. "Somehow I think that might be difficult for you, Severus."

"I am not suspicious," he protested with a sneer.

"Most of the time, no, you're not. But you seem like you'd be the type to be subtle about what you're trying to do to someone."

"Being obvious wouldn't help me, would it?"

"Sometimes being obvious is the best way to get what you want."

He looked at her as if he wanted to say something, but instead he turned to drink the rest of his pumpkin juice.

"What do you have this morning?" she asked.

"Transfiguration before our Runes class. You?"

"Charms with the Gryffindors. Where I will be, unfortunately, subjected to more of Sirius Black's questionable charms," she finished darkly.

"Does he really bother you that much?" he asked, unable to hide the excitement from his voice.

"I don't know how many more ways I could tell him I'm not interested. I wouldn't mind if he just wanted to talk, but he is so persistent about asking me to..." she trailed off, making a face. "At this point I think he's just doing it because he doesn't like you."

"It's the driving motivation for most of the stuff he does around me," he scowled.

"It's a nice morning. Want to sit on the lawn and talk about our assignment?"

"Sure," he nodded, scowling as he saw the Marauders entering the hall. "Let's go."

He stood, offering her a hand. She looked at it for a long moment, debating whether to take it or not. So far she would happily be seen on his arm, there was a casualness about it, often the Slytherin boys 'escorted' girls around the castle like this as a nod to old traditions. But hand-holding was different. It was more intimate, more a sign that things had progressed beyond 'friendship'. She checked to make sure Danielle, Selena, and Jennae were nowhere in sight and took his hand, standing, and letting him lead her out of the castle. They settled under a tree by the lake, sitting side by side so their knees were touching, but neither made an immediate move to get out their books.

"The lake really is lovely on mornings like this," she sighed, as a soft mist swirled lazily upwards from the surface before dissipating just a few feet above the surface in a beam of sunlight.

He grunted noncommittally, and she could see out of the corner of her eye that he was looking at her, not at the lake. A million things ran through her head that she could say, something about what might lay ahead, or something about the importance of life, but something was telling her that being quiet was the right thing in that moment. She leaned against the tree and looked from the lake to the castle. How different it looked now, in it's pristine grandeur, than the smoldering mess she left when Dumbledore sent her back here. The last time the castle looked like this to her was before Dumbledore's death. Even though the castle was still in tact afterwards, the feeling of security had gone. But now, back here, with the threat of Voldemort still securely on the outside, the castle was like it was before everything happened. Before Moody the impostor, and Cedric's death. Safe. Strong. A place she wanted to be. What she had hoped would be her magical education. Twenty-three days. In a little over three weeks she'd be dropped back in that half-destroyed school, still in the midst of battle, and everything would be put on her shoulders again. She wondered what part of the battle she would be sent back to. Would it be the moment after she left? When she would have to say good-bye to her best friend for the last time? After she had already seen Severus die?

_No,_ she told herself. _It couldn't be then. If it was, all this was in vain. _But the memory was still there, the image of Nagini attacking him still fresh in her brain. None of it had changed. She must not be doing something right. The thought was more terrifying than it should have been. Professor Snape's death had been sad. Upsetting enough to send her on this mission, even. But if Dumbledore had asked her then what would happen if she failed, she would probably pat herself on the back for doing everything she could, mourn her Professor the way that any student who wasn't particularly close to him would, and move on to more personal deaths. But now... now Severus' death ranked with Fred's. One she knew would effect her and stay with her the rest of her life. That she would think about as she moved along, be reminded of at seemingly random moments, that would cause her to cry herself to sleep for many nights throughout the rest of her life. Going back on this mission was a hope before. The closer she got to Severus, however, turned the hope into a necessity. She could not fail.

"Is everything alright?" he asked softly, bringing her out of her trance-like thoughts.

"Hm?" she shook her head to banish the thoughts and bring herself back into the moment.

His hand came up, and he swiped at a tear she didn't realize was falling down her cheek. She turned to look at his eyes, needing and finding genuine concern in their depths.

"Just thinking about..." she swallowed, and forced herself not to tell him the truth, "... my grandfather."

"Do you need to see him? I'm sure if you talk to Flitwick or Dumbledore they could arrange for someone to take you to him during the Hogsmeade trip."

She tore her eyes from him to look at her hands, unable to lie to him anymore. "That's not it. My relationship with him is complicated," she muttered, and a loud bell tolled the time.

"We should probably get to class," she said, standing up.

He was beside her in a moment, taking her hand, and she quickly decided she didn't care who saw them linked together. "I'll walk you to Charms."

"Thank you."

He was wordless during their walk, and she was grateful for the silence. Any words of sympathy, or attempts to cheer her, would have further shattered her image of her Professor, and he had already shown her how much he had changed from his time in school. There was still hope in the man beside her. He was damaged, but not completely broken. Briefly she wondered if she was helping that damage, or if her departure would make it worse. And what happened between that moment, and when she first entered Hogwarts to turn him so cold.

They stopped behind a tapestry that emptied into the Charms corridor. She turned towards him, nearly running into his chest in doing so. "I can go from here," she muttered. "You don't want to be late for Transfiguration."

He looked confused for a moment. His hand started up towards her, then jerked back down. His eyes lingered on her lips for a moment. It might have been her imagination, it appeared as if his head dipped slightly towards hers, but he shook it, and looked at the stones behind her right shoulder. "I'll see you for Runes."

"See you," she whispered, and she watched him disappear around a corner, staring at the spot for a long moment before she realized she was late and scurried into the Charms classroom, sliding next to Jennae just as Flitwick entered the room.

She had long since mastered the Aguamenti charm, and had no problem casting it repeatedly as she thought about her situation. Maybe Danielle and Selena had been right. Perhaps Severus was wanting more from their friendship than just companionship. And while the thought was a little thrilling, she knew it would not be a good idea for them to get carried away with each other. She needed to get a plan set, and set herself some boundaries. Going forward with no plan, as she had done to that point, had got them to a place where she could not put a definition on their relationship, but knew it was leaning towards a place it shouldn't be allowed to get to. A three-week romance that ended with her apparent disappearance off the face of the planet would probably damage him even further. Flitwick started a lecture about the limitations of magic when used with food, a lecture she could give herself, so under the guise of taking notes she started to lay out her plan and the rules she wanted to follow on a spare bit of parchment.

_-Complete the assignment on antivenins, pushing Severus towards the development and have him focus on the practical (he'll probably insist on this anyways)_

_-Continue to be friendly towards Severus, though not too friendly_

_-Discourage his friendships with certain other Slytherins. Perhaps encourage friendships with those from other houses (mainly Ravenclaw)_

_-Continue to show preference to him over the Marauders to boost his confidence_

_-Try to let him know that he will be missed if something happens to him_

_-Hand holding is okay, anything more is not_

The bell rang, but before she packed thins up she underlined the last one twice. It wasn't the best plan, and she was sure that Harry and Ron could pick it apart in no time flat, but it was the best thing she had.

"We missed you this morning," Jennae said as they started walking towards the grand staircase together.

"I'm sorry. I woke up early and couldn't sleep, so I decided to get an early start on my day. I wanted to get working on that Potions assignment."

"Let me guess, you're working with Snape."

"Yes."

"Figures. Which one are you doing?"

"The one about antivenins."

"Antivenins?" she sounded surprised. "You got him to work on antivenins? I would have thought he found that boring, considering there's nothing much left to discover in that field."

"You both seem quite sure that every magical creature out there that is going to be discovered has been discovered. Like no one could possibly breed or create another magical creature that so happens to be venomous."

"Breeding new creatures is against the law."

"And no one has ever broken the law before?" she raised an eyebrow and fought against mentioning blast-ended skrewts.

"True," she sighed. "Lunch together?"

"I'll be there," Hermione smiled, and they broke away from each other, Hermione climbing upwards towards Runes while Jennae hurried onto the grounds. As she turned the corner to the Runes classroom she already saw Severus standing outside the room, watching the spot, and she couldn't stop her face from lighting up.

"Miss me?" she smiled as she came level with him.

"You certainly think highly of yourself, don't you?" he replied in a tone that made it obvious he was happy to see her again.

"If I don't think highly of myself, who will?"

He let off a small snort, and muttered something that sounded a lot like, "Insufferable."

"Excuse me?" she asked with a smirk.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "Did Black annoy you?"

"I got in just as Flitwick started the lesson, and left as soon as it was over. He didn't have a chance."

He looked at her in concern. "I dropped you off with plenty of time to get in before class started."

"I ran to the loo," she waved it off. "It nearly made me late."

He seemed to accept this without question, and when the door opened they started to walk in together. He stepped back to let her go in first, and she felt his long fingers lightly touch the small of her back as she walked in front of him. She straightened up involuntarily at the touch. Only two men had ever done anything like that to her. The first was Fred Weasley, who had always tried to keep on her good side so she'd be a little more lax on the twins while they were at Hogwarts, and apparently it was a habit he never felt the need to break. The second was Viktor, who might not have been the best conversationalist, but certainly made up for it by being a perfect gentleman... at least, a perfect gentleman when they weren't stealing a moment together. She decided to quickly dismiss the gesture from Severus as one of those old-fashioned Slytherin habits.

Still, it was hard for her to concentrate on anything during Runes. It was becoming clear that Severus did want more out of their friendship, and while part of her wanted to go along with that she was too afraid of what would happen when she left. However, she had no clue of how to turn him down. It was funny in a way, that when she went back in time she suddenly had two men fighting over her, when she had spent four years next to Ron before he even seemed to notice that she wasn't one of the boys. Turning boys down wasn't a big problem, the only time she ever had to do something of the sort was when she had to ditch McLaggen, and she probably could have done that with a well-placed picture of him making some spectacular save during Quidditch. There was that time she had to turn down Neville for the Yule Ball, and that was painful because she had no idea that Neville thought anything more of her than a casual friend and she didn't like turning him away, but the revelation had been so startling, and Neville so shy, that a quick 'I'm sorry' sent things back to the way they had always been between them. Things with Severus had already progressed beyond what she and Neville had, and she knew the line was more delicate. It was obvious that Severus had been rejected by others a lot thus far, including...

It was so obvious that she nearly smacked her own forehead. Jennae, Danielle, and Selena had told her that he had one good non-Slytherin friend. Sirius mentioned that Lily had once been 'afflicted' with spending time with Severus, but had 'gotten over it'. Lily and Severus had been friends at one point. And now that they had some kind of falling out his pool of friends was limited to future Death Eaters. If something very nasty had happened between Snape and Harry's mother, she could easily see why Snape had something against Harry. It was obvious there was no love between James and Severus, and that was what she always thought Harry looked and acted too much like his father for Snape's liking, and she knew there was some kind of friendship between Lily and Severus, but what if that ended poorly as well? What if Harry was the reminder of not just one, but two people who had hurt him? She had to know exactly what happened.

She walked with Severus to lunch, but kept her hands firmly in her pockets, and luckily he didn't try anything. She hastily said good-bye to him when she saw Jennae sitting alone at the table and hurried to her.

"Where's Danielle and Selena?" she asked, sitting down but not taking any food.

"They went to put their books up and change clothes. Grubbly-Plank had a hippogriff, and it kicked up some mud that hit them."

"Good."

Jennae shot her a look.

"Sorry, I mean, there's something I want to talk to you about, and I'd rather do it alone."

"What's up?"

"Last night Danielle mentioned that you had only ever seen Severus with one non-Slytherin friend. That one friend was Lily Evans, right?"

"Yes," she nodded. "They were practically inseparable until around our OWLs last year."

"They were that close?"

"I know you don't think there is anything between you, but what you have with him is a lot like what they had together. He cared for her a lot, and I think his feelings for her were deeper than her feelings for him. You could tell he was thrilled just to be her friend, but that he wanted to be more. And she kept him at bay on that aspect, but still continued to be friends with him. He was always following her around."

"What happened?" she asked softly.

"There was an incident last year after one of our OWLs."

Hermione nodded, eager to hear more.

"You should know that you have caught James, Sirius, and Snape at a rather calm moment. There's usually a lot more physical harm towards one another. Both sides are guilty of it, but it's well known to everyone around the castle that they hate each other and aren't slow to hex each other for any reason or no reason at all. What you've seen has been tame for them."

She swallowed hard. "Okay," she whispered, needing to hear more.

"I saw this all happening, so I know what really happened and not the rumors. Snape was walking across the lawn, but I think he was ready for a fight. As soon as Potter said something to him he turned to cast a spell at Potter, but was hit by one himself. That's how it started. Snape didn't say anything to them, but he was quick to want to throw a hex. He was just slower than James, who I think was just waiting for an excuse.

"I don't remember the exact words that passed between them, though if I remember Severus didn't do much of the talking. James and Sirius said some mean things, but nothing worse than anything they usually said. Snape returned with some pretty foul language, and James cast a s_courgify_ on his mouth. Snape was choking on it when Lily showed up. She told James and Sirius to stop, several times. James promised to stop hexing Snape if Lily went out with him, which I think got Snape even more worked up, even though Lily was refusing.

"Snape cast a spell that left a cut on James' cheek, and James retaliated by hanging Snape in the air and exposing his undershorts..."

Hermione let off a horrified sound.

"It was awful, though a lot of people thought it was funny. Cheered them on, even."

"That's disgusting."

Jennae nodded. "James let Snape down, cast a full-body bind on him, and Lily insisted they leave Severus alone even more forcefully. James finally stopped, and told Snape he was lucky Lily was there. And Snape called her..." she paused her voice lowering. "I remember what he said. He said 'I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her'."

She groaned and closed her eyes.

"After that we don't see them together anymore. I haven't seen them around each other at all, but from what I've heard he tried to apologize, even waited outside the Gryffindor common room for her, but she refused. And she's started seeing James Potter. Something must have happened over the summer, because she didn't have very nice words for him during the incident."

Hermione sat in silence, digesting everything. A lot of things were making more sense in light of this new information. She looked up at Severus, and found him looking back at her, concerned. She forced a smile at him, and avoided him the rest of the day. For every nasty thing she had ever heard Professor Snape say, the word Mudblood never crossed his lips, and she knew it was the one thing he could say that would cause her to lose all respect for him. And yet, he had said that word. She needed some time to process the information, and decide if it changed anything.

That night she closed her curtains and put a silencing charm, as she knew the dreams were going to be bad.

_ She was standing on the dusty floor of the Shrieking Shack, practicing summoning charms with Severus. He suddenly cast one at her robe, and the left sleeve was ripped violently off, exposing her Mudblood scars, which were still bleeding. She grabbed the dirty, mouldering sheet off the bed and tried to stop the bleeding, but it seemed to be getting worse._

_ "Forget you're a witch, Miss Granger?" he asked, his voice cold, and she looked up to find her Professor standing there. His eyes flashed menacingly and a cruel smile twisted his lips. "Can't even stop a little blood? Did you really think you're on par to practice magic with those whose right it is? That you could ever be more than a filthy little mudblood? Did you honestly think that I would ever dirty myself with the likes of you?"_

_ She fought the tears in her eyes as she tried to stop the blood, but it had turned to mud, and wouldn't slow. She was suddenly yanked to her feet, but Snape was gone, as was the shack, replaced with Bellatrix and Malfoy Manor. She braced herself for what was coming, but the pain was still as fresh as when it first happened. She was on the floor again, screaming, begging for it to stop..._

As she awoke with her face in her pillow, stifling her scream, and wondering if she had made a mistake.


	10. Reflections

She couldn't avoid Severus for long, as the very next morning she found herself sitting next to him in their Potions class. She slipped in at the very last second, taking her seat as Slughorn began to give them instructions.

"By now I have expected you to pair up, and to have chosen your assignments. I expect many of you have a potion that needs starting today if it's to be completed by the time the assignment is over. Others may use the time to work on their essay, or practice their potions. There is also a list of potions that will be on the NEWT tests, and I expect you to be able to produce at least two of those potions by the end of this month-long assignment. You may begin."

About half the class stood and went for the supply cabinet. Hermione went to get a copy of the list of potions they were expected to work on, as their Doxy antivenin wouldn't take more than a couple days. She placed it between her and Severus, looked it over, and decided to work on a Truth Serum. She opened her book to the correct page and went to get her ingredients.

"Did you want to work together?" Severus asked.

She grunted and shrugged.

Cautiously he took the beetle eyes she collected, put them in a mortar, and began crushing them. She started to clean her daisy roots and prepare them for cutting in silence.

"You didn't come down for breakfast," he said quietly, sounding concerned.

"Wasn't hungry."

"And you were nearly late for class."

"Forgot how to get here from Ravenclaw. Had to go through the Great Hall."

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked, abandoning the beetle eyes.

"No. Maybe. Did you really call Lily Evans a Mudblood?" she asked, looking up into his face.

He was not expecting the question, and his face registered the shock of hearing her ask it. His features slowly hardened, and the light went out of his eyes as he straightened up and suddenly seemed distant. A wave of panic rushed over her, and she felt that asking him might have totally blown her whole mission, but she was frozen, needing to hear the answer.

"Yes," he said shortly.

"Severus..."

"For what it's worth, I regret it," he added through clenched teeth as he turned away from her, opened his book and began to angrily flip pages aimlessly.

"Severus," she whispered, touching his arm, but he jerked away from her and refused to speak to her for the rest of the lesson. She was so distracted that she horribly burned the potion and had to vanish it before the green fumes rising from it poisoned them both. While she was cleaning Severus swept from the room. She finished as quickly as she could and hurried after him, but he had already disappeared by the time she got out to the hallway. She saw Jannae up ahead, but decided she didn't want to talk to her right now. Instead she turned the other way, heading up, as far up as she could, all the way up to the Astronomy tower. She pointedly turned away from the spot where Dumbledore had been killed and sat.

She shouldn't have been surprised Severus used the word Mudblood. From her own experience it was thrown around by Slytherins as casually as any other insult. It stung because, despite Professor Snape being mean-spirited and short-tempered, he was never truly cruel, and he didn't seem to treat her any differently than any of the other students because of her blood status. She didn't take the news that he had once said it as well as she should have because it personally hurt her. But she failed to look at the context. Severus had just been attacked. He had been humiliated. It was two against one at the core, but really, there was so much more. Remus and Wormtail, who may not have been an active part of the bullying, did not suggest that things were going too far, even though Remus was a prefect and should have been duty-bound to stop it and report his friends. The spectators not only didn't try to stop what was going on, they actively encouraged James and Sirius with laughter and cheers. Jennae didn't mention if Severus had managed to retaliate or not, but the truth was Severus had been bested and embarrassed in front of a large group of people, and only one came to his aid. And that one, even though she was his friend, also happened to be a girl. So she could add emasculated to the list. She remembered how he reacted when they had their altercation with the Marauders out on the lawn. Even though Sirius had been bothering her Severus took her engaging them personally. Severus was poor. He was a half-blood in a house that valued blood purity. He was not attractive. She strongly suspected he came from an abusive past. There was not much Severus had going for him, his intelligence and his pride seemed to be all he had. And, as she knew so well, intelligence wasn't always a valuable trait. His pride was hurt, he would have said anything to salvage a little dignity out of the situation. And it cost him his only true friendship.

Mudblood wasn't a completely unforgivable word in the end. Had she had heard Harry or Ron say it she might not speak to them for a while, but if they offered a sincere apology she would have forgiven them in time. Hadn't she forgive Ron for abandoning them during their Horcrux hunt? That was arguably a much worse crime than what, to someone in Severus' situation, amounted to a casual insult.

It was hard for her to forgive the word, but there was only one other thing that he had said about the situation. That he regretted it. He shut himself off from her from the just mention of what had happened. He was obviously still hurting over it, and there was no way for him to know why she took the insult so personally. Her friends knew the word was horrible, but none of them truly felt the weight of it when it was used against them, and, of course, none of them was permanently physically branded with that word. She didn't help things by acting so cold towards him when she found out about his use of the word. It wasn't the same situation, but it was the same outcome. The use of his word Mudblood had cost him Lily, and she had turned on him the moment she knew about the incident. Of course he would close himself off as soon as it looked like he was losing his second friendship to the word. He had to close himself off, or show that he was hurt.

She had to talk to him. Stumbling to her feet she flew down the stairs, not slowing until she got to the Great Hall. She paused in the doorway to catch her breath and saw him. He was sitting alone at the Slytherin table, an untouched sandwich in front of him, no one within ten feet. His shoulders were slumped forward, he had taken his hair out of the tie so it curtained his face once more. Cautiously she approached him and sat next to him, but not too close. He looked over at her, but as soon as he realized who it was he started to get up.

"Please wait, Severus," she whispered, grabbing his robe.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

"To apologize."

Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't that. He sunk slowly back onto the bench, eyes downcast so she couldn't see what he was thinking.

"I shouldn't have gotten mad at you for using that word. I had a bad reaction to the news, and I should have let you tell me your side of the story before I made any judgement. I just had a personal reaction to it. I... detest that word. But that doesn't mean I should assume that it wasn't merely something said in the heat of the moment. And it doesn't excuse me not asking you about what happened."

He looked up, studying her face for sincerity. "I detest that word, too," he said softly after making sure none of his house mates would be able to hear him.

"I can understand why. Jennae told me about Lily."

"What did she tell you?" he said with an edge to his voice.

"That the two of you were very good friends, until you said that word, and that you haven't been seen much together since."

His face darkened and he moved to get up, but she stopped him again.

"It was wrong of her to throw a friendship away like that. Friends mess up on occasion. The right thing to do is forgive your friend for something they said. You had been friends since first year..."

"Before," he added softly.

"That's a long friendship to give up over something said in a situation like that. And it's completely unforgivable what James and Sirius did to you."

He looked her over skeptically. "Do you really mean it?" he asked, sounding vulnerable.

"I've had a couple of close friends since soon after I started school. If I ended the friendship because they said something insensitive and boneheaded in a bad situation the friendship wouldn't have lasted two months."

"What did they say?"

"Lots of things. For example; we were having a dance one winter. One asked me to go with him, at the last minute mind you, first by insinuating that he had just noticed I was a girl, then by expressing disbelief that anyone would have asked me in advance. He expressed this opinion several times, and was convinced I didn't have a date up until the dance itself when I entered on my date's arm."

His eyes had narrowed when she mentioned 'date'.

"It didn't work out with my date, but it certainly upset him that he was wrong. It caused a bit of a row."

"So he couldn't find a date, and was upset with you when you weren't available?"

"Funny how these things work, isn't it?"

"Why didn't he ask you from the start?"

"As I said, he didn't seem to notice I was of the female persuasion."

"He's an fool without proper use of his eyes, then. Whoever your date was had to be lucky to have you on his arm."

A blush crept over her cheeks. "Thank you, Severus," she muttered. "Am I forgiven for my reaction, then?"

"Of course."

"I should probably also beg forgiveness for burning that potion, as well."

The corners of his lips tugged upwards momentarily, and he pretended to think about it. "I guess I can forgive you for that, but don't expect my benevolence again if you prove yourself no more competent than a first-year at potions."

She scoffed, as if affronted. "One potion. I muck up one potion, and you compare my abilities with a bumbling first year?"

"It was a pretty grievous mistake."

"Well, instead of belittling me, perhaps it would be a better use of your time to help me figure out where I went wrong?"

"Who do you take me for? Your professor?"

"You never know where your career path may take you, Severus. Perhaps teaching is in your future."

"I don't think I'd make much of a teacher. I don't have much patience for stupidity, and some students here seem to have it in spades."

"You never know," she shrugged.

"If I am going to start teaching, I would point out that you added the armadillo bile during the second step of the brewing process, not the murtlap essence which was sitting next to it and has a similar color, though the bile burns at a much lower temperature and does not do well in longer brewing processes."

"If you saw me making the mistake, why didn't you stop me?"

"I had about much desire as you to talk during that class."

"Can we just agree that in the future we'll suspend any non-communication when it comes to things that could potentially poison us?"

He let off a soft chuckle. "Okay. When you manage to irritate me into non-communication, I will warn you when you are about to completely fuck up our potion."

She looked at him in surprise. The word sounded bizarre coming in his smooth, low voice. She covered it up by turning her look of shock into one of affront. "_I _am going to irritate _you?_ I hardly think that's going to be the case."

"Care to make a wager out of this?"

"Are you suggesting you want us to anger each other until we aren't willing to speak to one another? Sounds like a pleasant proposition, but I think I'll pass."

He let off another chuckle as the the bell rang. "Are we on good enough terms that you'd like to walk to Defense together?"

She pretended to mull this over. "I guess," she said, holding her hand out to him.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next day Hermione was sitting in Charms, chatting with Jennae when the Marauders sat down in their usual seats in front of her. After the story the day before she had no desire to deal with any of them, especially James and Sirius, and her stomach lurched as they turned to her.

"Change your mind about Hogsmeade, love?" Sirius asked, flashing his most charming smile.

"Not hardly," she shot back.

"Come on, love, what is it that Snivellous has that I don't?"

"A great many things," she replied icily.

"Including some of the dirtiest shorts I've ever seen," Peter sniggered.

"And why would you have cause for seeing his shorts?" she hissed.

"James and Sirius had to teach him a bit of a lesson last year..."

"Yeah, I heard about that," she interrupted with an angry glare. "What, exactly had he done to you at that point to provoke such an attack?"

James and Sirius shifted uncomfortably in their seats, and Lupin looked guiltily down, but Peter obviously didn't have the ability to read the situation as well as they did, because he continued, "Puckle, he doesn't need to _do_ anything. The fact that he's _there_ is provocation enough."

"Whoa, Hermione," Jennae whispered, grabbing Hermione's wrist as Hermione automatically went for her wand. Even though she was restrained her face reddened, her body drew to full height, and she didn't care that everyone was moving as far as they could away from her.

"How dare you, you idiotic vermin!" Hermione hissed dangerously, and James, Sirius, and Remus exchanged surprised looks. "Severus might not be the most pleasant man to be around, but that does _not _justify what you have been doing to him. Attacking someone for who they are makes you no better than Death Eaters!"

"Easy, Puckle," Sirius murmured, and Flitwick came into the room, immediately looking at their group.

"Is everything alright, Miss Puckle?" the Professor asked, concern written across her face.

"She might need a trip to the hospital wing," James said suddenly, obviously concerned for Peter's safety.

"You may be right, Mister Potter. Why don't you make sure she gets there alright?"

James looked nearly terrified for a moment, but nodded solemnly. "Come on, Puckle," he murmured as he stood up, and motioned for her to come with him without actually touching her. Hermione stood up so quickly she nearly knocked Jennae off the bench and stormed from the room.

"Don't you dare follow me!" she growled at James as soon as they were far enough away from the room she was sure Flitwick wouldn't overhear them.

"What the hell, Puckle?" he nearly shouted back.

"What the hell?" she repeated, her voice an octave too high. "Your cruelty cost Severus his best friend, and the best explanation you can give is his very existence is worthy of the torment you've laid on him?"

"You obviously don't know what he's done to us," he shot back.

"Do I need to? How many of him are there to how many of you?"

"He has gotten his friends to help."

"But you've tormented him when he's been alone and not doing anything to you. Because he's _there_. Is that the kind of person you are? When you're older and you have a son, how would you like it if you found out he was bullying someone because he was _there_? What if he was the one bullied because he exists? If it was four boys who took his pants off in front of an audience because they didn't like who he was? Is _that_ the legacy you want to leave for your child?"

James stood in shocked silence for a long moment. "You don't know what he's like... what his friends are like..."

"You obviously do. You took Lily from him. Do you think he would make a serious commitment to the Death Eaters with a Muggle-born as his best friend? You know how smart he is. Right now you know there are two sides. You're giving him and his talents to the other side."

He paused, looking contemplative. "It's Lily's decision," he whispered.

"And she's chosen. But at times like these you need as many allies as you can get."

"Are you an ally?"

"I would give anything, _everything_ to stop what's going on."

He studied her face for a long moment.

"You're not a bad person, James. But doing cruel things for the sake of doing them isn't going to help anything. You, and Sirius, and Remus, and Lily... you could make a big impact. But it's not going to be done by being a bully."

"You seem to know a lot of what's going on."

"More than you realize," she replied in a low voice. "They use fear as their main weapon. If we're showing we can also be cruel and something to fear, why are we better than them?"

He nodded. "Is there anything you need?"

"Just... keep Peter away from me. If Jennae didn't hold me back..."

"Sometimes he doesn't know when to shut up," he shook his head. "Are you alright now?"

"Yeah. I could use some fresh air. Tell Jennae I'll see her later?"

"Okay," he gave her a half-smile and walked back towards the classroom. She turned and headed out to the lake. After making sure that no one was looking she lifted the charm off her forearm. She shouldn't have lost her temper, but her patience with Peter was razor-thin to begin with. If it had been James, Sirius, or Lupin who had said it she might not have had as extreme a reaction, but it hurt to see him with James, who would be dead because of him, and Sirius, who would be spending over a decade in Azkaban. It hurt to know what Harry was going to go through because of him. It was horribly tempting to try to corner Wormtail somewhere and permanently take care of a problem, but then who knows what she'd return to? Still, it was hard not to fantasize about it.

"Good morning, Miss Puckle," Dumbledore said jovially as he came to stand next to her.

"Good morning, Sir," she said, scrambling to her feet.

"You are missing Charms, if I remember correctly?"

"Let's call it avoiding temptation."

"An admirable goal. May I ask how things are going for you back here?"

"A little more difficult than I imagined. Not with what I originally came to do, but with everything else."

He nodded knowingly.

"I know I can't change things, but I also know the pain those things cause. As a friend I want to stop certain things from happening, but as a person who wants to end this war I know I can't."

"It is a difficult, and from what I gather, unique position to be in. I do not know, nor _should_ I know, the circumstances which led you back here. I should not know who your target is, though I could hazard a guess based on what I've seen and the rumors flying around the school. Being an intelligent man I have an idea why I would find it necessary for someone to return to this time for a single target. It is brave of you to do so, and I encourage you to remember what drew you back here."

"It is not a pleasant memory."

"Could it be?" he asked, and before she could respond he started again. "Unless I am mistaken it is almost time for you to be in Runes. I daresay that is one of the classes you do not want to miss?"

"No," she said, grabbing her bag as the bell rang, and rushing inside, excited to see Severus again.


	11. Hogsmeade

When she turned the corner that led to the Runes classroom she saw Severus waiting outside, talking quietly with Jennae. He shot a glance towards her and, seeing her approaching, jerked his head towards her. Jennae quickly turned to look at her and smiled.

"There you are. How are you?" Jennae asked, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine," she said softly, with a nod.

"Okay, I have to run or I'm going to be late. I just wanted to make sure you are okay," she said, giving her a quick hug. "I'll see you a little later."

"See you," she smiled as Jennae ran off.

"She told me what happened," Severus said quietly.

She drew in a breath that her lungs refused to expel.

"She said you looked like you were about a second away from hurting Pettigrew."

"He said some horrible things..."

"Trust me, Hermione, I would not only understand, I'd actively encourage you taking that rat down a notch," he said with a ghost of a smile. She was finally able to exhale fully, knowing he wasn't upset with her for what she said to the Marauders.

"That's not the half of it," she admitted. "I said some things to Potter out in the hallway that weren't very nice."

"Like what?" he asked, sounding eager to hear it.

She gave him a quick synopsis of what transpired between her and James in the hallway. He looked pleased as she finished.

"Good for you," he said, with a genuine smile. "He needed to hear a lot of those things. I'd say it, but I don't believe for a second that he'd listen to me. And because he and Black tend to hex at random someone needed to get him alone and lay the information out for him. Hopefully some of it penetrated his thick skull."

"Severus," she sighed with a smile.

"I honestly don't think they would have listened to you if both of them were there. And of the two Potter is more mature. If either one was going to listen to you, it would be him."

"I shouldn't have lost my temper in class. I really thought I was going to hurt Pettigrew."

"Perhaps I should get you to lose your temper with him when we're out on the grounds."

"Severus!" she hissed, but she chuckled. She let him lead her into the room as he had before, but this time his hand pressed into her back with a little more confidence. They sat on the same bench, getting their things out.

"Thank you," he whispered as he laid out some parchment and prepared his quill.

"For what?" she asked in a low voice.

"Standing up for me."

"It's nothing, Severus. No need to thank me."

"Still, you don't need to do that."

"Yes, I do. You deserve it," she said firmly.

The lecture started, and Hermione was soon lost in the boredom of a lesson she had heard once before. She wrote a few things down on her paper, doodled a little on the edge, and tried not to let her mind wander too far. Halfway through the class the Professor started walking around the room, handing out paragraphs for them to translate. When Hermione reached for hers she saw Severus take a sudden interest in her forearm, and realized she forgot to re-cast the glamour charm on her arm, and the 'd' of Mudblood was visible. Quickly she pulled the sleeve of her robe down and tried to pay attention to her paragraph. But she was thinking quickly, trying to find a good explanation for her to have that carved onto her skin. When the bell rang she had only one idea, and she hated it, but she would have to move fast. She excused herself and ran to the bathroom, hoping Severus didn't wait, or had forgotten the mark altogether. Locking herself into a stall she pulled out her wand, and used a revised glamour charm to change the word on her arm, knowing she couldn't just cover it up now. Walking out of the bathroom she realized that Severus had not went down to lunch, nor had he forgotten what he saw. Without a word he grabbed her wrist and lifted her sleeve.

She had changed the 'd' to a 'p' to start the word 'putain' inverted to the way 'mudblood' was carved. Severus' eyes narrowed, an angry fire lighting behind his eyes.

"Who did this to you?" he growled.

"A boy I was seeing," she lied. "He thought I was seeing someone else on the side. He drank too much firewhiskey at a party, cornered me in a hallway with some of his friends, and did this."

"He carved 'whore' into your arm?" he now sounded livid, and her slight hope he didn't know french drained from her body.

"Yes," she whispered, stomach dropping. She hated lying to him, but showing him 'Mudblood', especially after what had happened earlier, was not an option. There was no explanation she could think of as to why a half-blood would have Mudblood written on their arm. If any of the Slytherins found out about it they'd start giving her a hard time, and make it difficult for her to spend time with Severus.

"What's his name?" his voice was low and dangerous, and she didn't doubt he was planning on doing something horrible to the made-up boy. She knew she had to diffuse the situation quickly.

"It doesn't matter. He was expelled, and his wand was snapped."

"What's his name?" he repeated.

"No, Severus. Forget I even have it."

"No one has the right to do something like that."

"No, they don't. But trying to get back at him now is pointless. I've moved on from it. Please, Severus, just leave it. You didn't even notice before. I cover it up most of the time, I guess I just forgot today."

"He should be in Azkaban," he growled, fists clenched, looking so angry she was surprised something wasn't moving through accidental magic. She knew she had to calm him down before something happened, so she cautiously wrapped her arms around him. She felt the shift in his emotions in the air: it went from electrified with his anger to calm with his surprise at her touch.

"I'm touched you care so much about it," she whispered into his ear. "But I can't live my life for revenge."

She felt his hands tremble slightly as they found her back, drawing her gently, cautiously into him. He rested his chin on her shoulder, head leaning against hers, and she felt him inhale deeply. She hugged him a little tighter, then withdrew to look up into his face.

"Thank you," she smiled.

He smiled back, and took her hand to lead her to lunch.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two days later nearly everyone who was a third year or older got up early, excited to be able to leave the castle to go to Hogsmeade. Hermione rose with them, excited to be spending the day with Severus outside the of the castle, without homework or classes to get in the way. It was the first time she felt like she could really relax in months. She went to breakfast with her dorm mates early and hurried back to her dorm to put her heavy cloak on over the jeans and jumper that had been sent to her by Dumbledore.

"Thank Merlin it's a nice day," Jennae said as they descended the main staircase to the entrance hall. "The last time we had a Hogsmeade weekend it was pouring down rain. Half of us gave up on trying to keep our shoes on in the mud and came in with mud-caked feet. Madam Pomfrey had lines out the door for pepper-up potion and a warming solution. Flitwick had to stand by the doors cleaning people off or Filch might have suffered a heart attack or something. I've never seen him so red in the face."

Hermione laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen him quite that angry, but I've seen him close," she smiled, remembering Fred and George's swamp.

"Trust me, you're not missing anything," she replied. "Good thing looks can't kill."

"Unless you're a Basilisk," she pointed out, realizing that somewhere far below them the giant snake was waiting to be unleashed from its prison again.

"Which we must all be thankful Filch is not," she nodded as they reached the landing and were greeted by a few more Ravenclaw girls, including Jennae's younger sister. "Where to first, ladies?" she asked the group.

"Actually I'm supposed to meet someone," Hermione said, looking around and spotting Severus lurking in a dark corner, staring at them. He had pulled his hair back again, and his clothes looked impeccable and new. She wondered if he borrowed them off Lucius, or if he had used the money from Bellatrix to buy a new set. Either way, it was obvious he was trying to impress her, and she couldn't help but shoot him a smile.

"I should have guessed," Jennae muttered under her breath as she followed Hermione's line of sight. "This is starting to get a bit out of hand, isn't it?"

"Perhaps," she shrugged.

"Nothing there still?"

"Not a thing."

"Well, feel free to find us if something goes wrong," she said, fastening her cloak and starting towards the door. As soon as she did Severus stepped forward towards Hermione.

"Hullo," he muttered.

"Hi," she smiled widely.

"Shall we?" he asked, motioning towards the door. Hermione nodded and looked up just in time to see Jennae shooting her one last skeptical look before being led away by the group. She made a show of tying her shoe to give the group a head start, then she and Severus left and started making their way through the chilly fall air towards the town. With Jennae not too far in front of them they seemed to wordlessly agree to not hold hands, though she did loop a hand around his arm.

"How are the classes you don't share with me going?" she asked to break the silence.

"They're going well," he nodded. "Though I find the pace dull sometimes. I'm sure you understand mastering a spell, then waiting around for the rest of the dunderheads in class to catch up."

"It can be a little frustrating at times," she admitted.

"Too bad Hogwarts refuses to skip students ahead a grade. Lucius Malfoy says…"

She couldn't stop herself from growling. She had been haunted the night before by more dreams of Malfoy Manor, this time featuring Lucius gleefully planning to turn her over to Voldemort while Bellatrix hurt her. The images were still fresh in her mind, and the words tumbled from her lips, "Bloody Malfoy."

"Excuse me?" he asked, sounding confused.

"Nothing," she said quickly, realizing her mistake. "Do you follow Quidditch?"

He stared at her, knowing fully what she said. So far the only times that Hermione and Lucius had met had seemed cordial enough, and Lucius knew that he was spending time with her and he did not discourage him. Why, then, did she seemingly hold so much hatred for his friend?

Noticing that he was becoming lost in thought, and being uncomfortable with it, she touched his face and asked, "Severus?"

He looked down in surprise at the touch, which she did not seem to be hesitant about letting linger, though a few seconds later she did let her hand fall. His dark eyes bore into hers for a moment before he replied, "Yes?"

"I was wondering…" she trailed off, searching for something to distract him from his intense gaze. "Did you read the latest issue of Potions Quarterly? I ask because they had that article about a possible breakthrough with a long-lasting Wolfsbane potion?"

"It's rubbish and they know it," he said, forgetting her reaction to Lucius' name completely. The conversation lasted until they came into the town and needed to decide where they were going.

"Do you need to stop for anything at the Apothecary?" she asked as they passed the dingy-looking building.

"I prefer not to go to that one," he said, shaking his head. "Their selection is abysmal and often out-of-date. And whoever provides them with their potions is an amateur at best."

"If you don't go there, where do you go?"

"Slughorn," he started, making a face at the name, "has some connections. He helps me get quality supplies. He does like to encourage me."

"Let me guess, Slug Club member?"

"Only to assure myself continued access to potions ingredients. I'm not a favorite in the club, but I am skilled enough to keep around. It's a symbiotic relationship. He gets to continuously say that he holds power over the best and brightest in the school, and I get the ingredients I need. If you had any plans on staying you would most likely be a shoo-in for membership."

"Thank Merlin I can give that one a pass," she smiled, heading into Honeydukes. She treated him to a small sack full of treats, something he normally didn't have the money for, while picking up another small sack for herself. The whole time she was shopping he was skirting along the wall, avoiding coming too close to anyone else in the shop but her. Afterwards she went and bought herself a new quill to replace the scratchy one Dumbledore had given her before heading to their final stop at the Three Broomsticks, where they found a secluded booth in the corner. She ordered a round from Madam Rosmerta and slid into the booth next to him.

They had finished their first round and were working on their second when Severus looked at her with a wicked grin playing across his face.

"I don't like that look," she said, looking suspicious.

"You shouldn't. Because I have remembered something."

"Oh, no," she groaned.

"I do believe you owe me a serenade."

"You're not really going to hold me to that, are you?" she asked, looking nervous.

"You shouldn't make a promise you don't intend to keep."

"Please don't make me," she pleaded. "I'll do anything."

"Anything?" he said, raising an eyebrow, eyes darting over her.

"Bloody men," she grumbled, climbing up onto the table. She cleared her throat and started belting out the school song:

_"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts_

_ Teach us something, please,_

_ Whether we are old and bald_

_ Or young with scabby knees…"_

Across the bar the four Marauders had scrambled up onto their table, raising their bottles of butterbeer and joining in with her, sounding purposefully off-key. While no one else stood on their tables by the end of the song the whole bar, save for Severus, was singing along with her, with Madam Rosmerta conducting with a couple of flagons. The place broke out in applause when the song ended, with James and Sirius wolf-whistling at her, as she took a bow and scampered off the table as quickly as she could possibly move.

"Bravo," Severus smirked.

"I can't believe you made me do that," she said, beet red.

"You're the one who chose to do that."

"Well, when you presented the alternative…"

"I made no mention of the alternative. You made an incorrect assumption. I was just going to have you write my History of Magic essay."

"Why in the hell didn't you mention that to me?" she hissed. "I would have gladly done that to not embarass myself in the pub!"

"I found your performance much more entertaining, and thus worth my having to write a roll of parchment about the downfall of the relationship of the magical and Muggle world in Ancient Rome."

"You ruddy bastard," she crossed her arms, scowling.

"This is for our little songstress," Madam Rosmerta appeared at their table, placing a fresh bottle of butterbeer in front of her. "From an admirer."

"Who?" she asked, stomach sinking, knowing she could easily hazard a guess.

Madam Rosmerta looked over her shoulder, where Sirius stood up, took a bow, and blew her a kiss.

"Ugh," she groaned, sliding the full bottle in front of Severus. "Another, please."

"Sure thing, dear," the barkeep said with a knowing smile, summoning another bottle. Hermione paid and took a long drink.

"That was really damn embarrassing."

"You should remember that when you're making offers while tutoring," Severus smirked as he took a sip.

"Perhaps I should just stop offering to tutor."

"That is one way to keep from having to embarrass yourself in a pub."

"I guess my one win in this situation is now I'll always have the knowledge that Sirius Black bought you a drink."

Without a word Severus slammed the bottle down so hard a good portion of the contents sloshed onto the table, stood, and rushed from the pub. Confused, Hermione threw a few coins onto the table, drew her cloak around her, and hurried after him. Exiting the bar she just caught sight of his cloak whipping around a corner on the far side of the street, and she had to run after him.

"Severus!" she called as he turned down another corner. "Severus! Stop!"

He pretended as though he didn't hear her and kept walking. She was out of breath from sprinting when she finally caught up to him, and it took her grabbing onto his sleeve to make him pause.

"Let go of me, witch!" he growled dangerously, spinning to face her, eyes blazing.

"No," she replied defiantly, tightening her grip and trying to stop panting.

"I said let go," he repeated through clenched teeth, trying to wrench his cloak from her.

"Not until you tell me what I did!"

"How would you like the thought that the boy who tried to kill you bought you a drink?" he hissed, slipping from her grasp. By this time, however, she had caught her breath enough to slide in front of him and block his path.

"What do you mean, tried to kill you?" she asked in surprise.

"If I felt like telling you, you nosy little wench, I would have," he snapped, turning to try to get away from her again.

"Severus!" she cried, grabbing at him again.

"Why do you insist on tormenting me?" he shouted. "Why don't you go be with Black and leave me at peace like I was before you went and showed up here?" He pushed past her and started down the alleyway next to the Boars Head towards the school, but she wasn't finished yet.

"I hardly think you were at peace," she said, jogging alongside him. "And if I wanted to be with Sirius Bleedin' Black don't you think he's tried hard enough that I could have done so by now? That if I wanted to shag the man I could have done it in my first week?"

He stopped and stared at her. "_Don't_ talk about shagging Black," he growled in a voice barely above a whisper, a dangerous voice she had heard only when someone had made a particularly grievous mistake in Potions class.

"What's it matter to you?" she asked defiantly.

His eyes narrowed.

"You can't have it both ways, Severus! Either you think that I'm some sort of Gryffindor-loving whore who is doing nothing in this friendship but biding my time until I can get Sirius Black into my bed, and I'm not sure whose arse you would have pulled that conclusion from, or you can accept that I am truly trying to be your friend, as much as you're trying to push me away, because I like our conversations and spending time with you in general. So which is it going to be, Severus? Because your distrust of me is really starting to grate on my nerves. Do I stay and try and you learn to trust me, or should I just give up and walk off like everyone expects me to do?"

They stared each other down for a long moment, neither doing more than breathing heavily, unwilling to break eye contact. Finally she nodded, seemingly accepting his silence as his answer, and turned to leave. Without warning he grabbed her arm, spun her, grabbed her other arm and pushed her hard against the stone wall behind her. She winced as the jagged stone pressed into her back, looking a little scared, and trying to reach for her wand but being unable to reach it due to his tight grip. His eyes were flashing, and for a moment she felt more terrified than she ever had around him.

But before she could react he bent his head down and crashed his lips into hers. She stood in shock for a moment, her mind racing. Every boundary she had set for herself had just been destroyed, but she suddenly found that she didn't care. She closed her eyes and pressed herself forward, allowing his lips to lead hers in an mutually demanding dance. Her hands grabbed at the only things she could reach, his cloak, and wrapped her hands in the fabric, pulling him even closer to her, so now she was wedged tightly between his body and the cold stone wall. Finally their lips parted slightly, the pants of their breath colliding in small clouds between them. Her eyes fluttered open to find that he was already staring intensely at her. And suddenly she forgot almost everything she knew about him, there was nothing but the two of them in that alleyway at that moment.

"Obvious enough for you?" he murmured.

She chuckled nervously. "What now, Severus?" she whispered.

"No idea," he replied before kissing her again.


	12. Growing Feelings

Their second kiss was less demanding, less forceful than the first. His grip slackened enough that she was able to free her arms and snake them around his neck, and his hands fell to her waist. Cautiously she licked his lips, and he responded opening his mouth and meeting his tongue to hers. The feeling was so good she forgot when and where she was as long as they were so entwined.

"Alrigh' yeh two, break it up!" a booming voice sounded as it came towards them.

Hermione, startled, backed so quickly away from Severus that she hit her head on the wall. She rubbed the spot as she turned to see Hagrid moving towards them, a concerned look on his face. Severus refused to relinquish his hold on her and looked irritated at the interruption.

"Ev'rything alrigh', Miss Puckle?" the half-giant asked.

"Yeah. Thanks, Hagrid," she muttered, moving back against the wall to create a little more room between her and Severus, feeling the blood rushing to her face.

"Time ter get back up ter the castle," he informed them.

"Right away," she nodded.

Hagrid looked at them one more time as if he were looking for some sign that Hermione was in distress, and, when he apparently decided she was okay, lumbered off towards a group of girls heading towards the Shrieking Shack.

"Let's go," Severus murmured, taking her hand and leading her back towards the main road back to the school. The sky was getting dark, they were apparently two of the last people to head back through the chilly October air towards the castle, as there were no other students in sight. They walked in silence, the only sound leaves crunching under their feet. It wasn't until they were at the steps of the castle that Severus spoke.

"Perhaps we should…" he started.

"Wait and see how this develops before making a public show?" she finished.

"Exactly," he nodded.

"I think that's for the best," she agreed.

"This will be goodnight, then?" he asked, turning her face towards his.

"Right. Goodnight," she muttered.

He drew her face forward to kiss her one more time, but the sound of laughter approaching from the group of girls ended the kiss before it became too intense.

"Thank you for the serenade," he smirked before turning and walking into the castle.

She gave him a moment, then moved to follow, but as she looked up at him his robes billowed behind him, and she stopped dead. Suddenly the young Severus was replaced by the older, surly Snape, and her world crashed back down around her. She had just kissed Snape. Yes, a younger, less hostile, more handsome version, but it was Snape nonetheless. And, if he remembered her in around twenty years, and she had no doubts that his memory was such that he would easily remember her, he would know that she had willingly kissed him. If she did as she came back to do and saved his life she would have to look at him knowing that at one point she found the man attractive enough to share a rather intimate kiss with. She found herself blushing at the very thought, but gathered herself and walked into the entrance hall and across to the Great Hall, which was buzzing with excited students talking about what had happened during their day in Hogsmeade. A few noticed her in the entrance, and clapped or cheered. Some Hufflepuffs started their own rendition of the school song as she passed, causing her to blush and hurry in for dinner.

As soon as she entered she could feel his eyes following her from the Slytherin table. She paid attention to the benches of the Ravenclaw table as she made her way down to Jennae and her classmates. Right before she sat down she chanced a look up at him- and her breath caught in her throat. She didn't see the young Severus looking at her, instead she saw her Professor's intense gaze locking with hers. Unable to move she blinked, squeezing her eyes shut longer than necessary, then opening them again. The gaze was still there, but this time it was the younger Severus behind the intense eyes. She managed a quick smile and sunk into the seat next to Jennae.

"I heard about your big performance," Selena smirked while buttering her bread.

"What are the chances of there being at least one person in this castle who hasn't heard of that?" Hermione replied, scooping potatoes on a plate.

"Slim to none," Jennae laughed.

"Fantastic," she smiled, taking a big bite.

"I heard Sirius Black thoroughly enjoyed the performance," Danielle said with a glance at the Gryffindor table.

"Sirius Black doesn't know when to quit," she replied, shaking her head.

"Come on, don't you think you ought to give him a chance? He seems so enamored with you. It doesn't hurt that he is handsome, talented, and rich…"

"And arrogant. Don't forget that little trait."

"And Severus Snape isn't arrogant?"

Hermione practically inhaled her pumpkin juice, and started coughing.

"That does look like a confirmation, doesn't it?" Selena raised an eyebrow.

"Confirmation of what, exactly?" Hermione managed.

"Come off it," Danielle said, leaning forward. "It's another not-so-well-kept secret around the castle that the two of you have been spending a lot of time together."

"And you defended him in class the other day," Selena added.

"Not to mention we're not the only ones who have seen you hand-in-hand."

"And we're kind of wondering your motivation," she finished, now leaning as far as Danielle over the table.

Hermione's mouth hung for a moment, then she managed to reply, "He is an intelligent man. We get along intellectually. I spend time with him because we are doing school work together. I feel like he can keep up with my insane schedules and demands."

Selena and Danielle looked at Jennae in unison.

"Don't you start in with her," she said quickly.

"If you're not willing to give up the information, we'll go to someone who will," Selena said.

"I'll hex you," Hermione warned Jennae.

"Do you realize how much you're giving away by threatening a friend with bodily harm?"

"Damn," she grumbled, missing Harry and Ron and their blissful ignorance of anything having to deal with her romantic life…

Ron.

She quickly tried to remember the last time she thought of him in anything more than a passing sense. It had to have been before she agreed to Dumbledore's insane idea. She fought to keep a straight face as guilt washed over her. When would be the next time she saw him? What was she going to say? A lot of that depended on Severus. If he died, like she remembered him doing, their kiss, and anything that came from it, could be kept a secret. But if he lived, liked she hoped to achieve… would Snape stoop so low as to let Ron know what happened between them? He had obviously kept his mouth shut about everything up until that point, but then again she doubted he expected to survive the war. If Ron was willing to stop talking to her in their sixth year because she had snogged Viktor two years before, there was a good chance he'd never talk to her again if he found out she snogged Snape voluntarily. Okay, maybe not never, but there would definitely be silence for a few days. And could she have picked two more opposite men to develop feelings for? Ron was loud, outgoing, and had a drive to prove himself more than just the friend of Harry Potter. Severus was reserved, intelligent, confident almost to a fault, and constantly proved his magical prowess despite no one taking note other than for his arrogance. A few days ago she would have given a quick, confident answer as to which one she preferred, now she was not so sure. She should not have let Severus kiss her. She should have stopped him and said she wasn't interested in a romantic relationship. But that kiss consumed her. Every nerve in her body screamed for more, and he seemed eager to deliver. She was going to have to think of a way to let him down, things would only get complicated if she let anything more develop between them.

Selena and Danielle wanted to go to the library after dinner, but Jennae seemed to make the last-second decision not to join them. Instead she waited until they were out of the Great Hall to turn to Hermione.

"Somethings up," she said, matter-of-factly.

Hermione looked at her for a long moment, then decided she really needed a female friend to give her advice. "Alright, I'll tell you, but I have to swear you to secrecy."

"Of course," she nodded.

"Severus and I... well, we..."

She put on a knowing smile. "Did you kiss him or did he kiss you?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"He kissed me," she replied quickly. "But I didn't fight it."

"Did you like it?"

"Yes," she replied in a whisper, feeling color flooding her face.

"So what's the problem?"

She sighed. "Where to start? I'm not here forever, and I'm not sure if I could carry on a relationship long-distance. I wasn't aware that he had any kind of those feelings towards me. And, to tell the truth, I'm in a somewhat complicated relationship back home."

Her eyes narrowed. "What kind of relationship?"

"Well, I kissed another boy just a few hours before leaving for here. I've liked this boy for a long time, and we had an emotionally-charged moment, and I just sort of kissed him. But we had no chance to sit down and talk about our relationship after then. I had to leave somewhat suddenly."

"Do you like this other boy?"

"Yeah, I do."

"In the same way you like Severus?"

"No. They aren't anything like each other."

"I kind of know enough about Severus, so let me know a little about the other boy."

"He's..." she came up short, surprised at the adjectives that were springing to her lips. Ron was a good friend, but away from the battle and the uncertainty she started to realize that their relationship wasn't sounding so promising. She could deal with a lot of Ron's shortcomings as his friend, since they could stop talking to each other for a while and let things cool off, it wouldn't be so simple as a couple, especially if things progressed to the point where they were living together. Ron had damaged her trust in him when he left her alone with Harry. He had proven time and again he would hold something against her without even telling her what it was. He had put Quidditch before their friendship before. He ridiculed her curiosity and her drive. It was a little unsettling how possessive he got of her before they were even a couple. And, of everyone she knew, he made her cry more often than anyone else. Most of the time their friendship was repaired by Harry, and it wasn't fair to him to turn into a reluctant relationship counselor. Their relationship shouldn't be started in the damaged corridor of Hogwarts mid-battle. Life-altering decisions should not be made when one's focus should be more on surviving the next few hours, as it's a lot easier to live in the moment and not the long-term when death is staring you in the face.

Jennae was looking at her expectantly, so she continued. "He's not the man I thought he was a few days ago," she admitted softly. "Thinking about it, what we've been through in the past should have been every warning I need to realize that we make better friends than lovers."

"And what about Severus?"

Hermione buried her face in her hands. "The more I get to know him, the more I realize he's the type of man I can see myself falling for."

"Seems like the choice is clear," she pointed out.

"But what happens when I leave?"

"If it's meant to be it'll work out."

Her jaw dropped slightly, and she quickly excused herself, saying she wanted to get some reading done before bed. But instead she hurried back to Ravenclaw. She changed into her bedclothes and sat in her bed, drawing the curtains around her for privacy. How could she even think of letting things get further with Severus? Wasn't she going to hurt him enough by turning him down after being so open to being with him? How could she even consider moving things forward when she had a little over two weeks before she disappeared, not to re-enter the wizarding world for nearly two decades? It was cruel and selfish of her to even think about letting things get any further. She started planning what she was going to say to Severus, blaming the emotionally charged moment for what happened, and that she wanted to stay good friends, but that she just wasn't ready for any kind of romantic relationship. She fell asleep with a pit in her stomach, knowing the words she had to speak, but also knowing that her heart really wasn't in it.

She woke up the next morning to the sound of someone banging on the dormitory door. She opened her eyes, finding the room already filled with light, indicating it was later in the morning than she would usually sleep in. She sat up, and heard Danielle answering the door.

"I'm supposed to give this to Hermione Puckle," she heard the familiar voice of a fifth-year girl who was known for reading her notes aloud in the common room.

"I'll give it to her," Danielle assured her. She took something from the girl, and closed the door. She stretched as Danielle tossed the folded piece of paper on her bed. Hermione snatched it up and unfolded it carefully.

_If you would like to work on our potions assignment in a more private area, meet me at ten-thirty at the painting of the two giraffes on the second floor._

_-S_

She smiled and checked her watch, and swore as she realized that she had only half an hour. She took a quick shower, charmed her hair into a braid, threw on her clothes, and rushed down the stairs. At exactly ten thirty she rounded the second floor corner, to see Severus looking anxiously at his watch.

"Sorry," she panted, as she came level with him. "I was having a bit of a lie-in."

"I thought you might be, since I didn't see you at breakfast," he murmured, scanning the corridor. "Come on."

He grabbed her hand and guided her down the stairs, past the potions room, to a corridor she had walked by several times, but never actually went down. He checked one more time to make sure the coast was clear, then tapped the wall with his wand. The stone parted, and he pulled her inside into a small room filled with a large table and shelves of potions ingredients.

"Wow," she breathed as the stone slid closed behind her. "Did you find this by yourself?"

"Slughorn showed it to me, when he was sick of having to spend extra time in his classroom as I practiced. It's a bit of a Slytherin secret. Legend has it Slytherin himself used this room, though not for potions."

"Do I want to know what for?" she asked.

"Mistresses are not uncommon for Slytherin men, especially if one is in an arranged marriage," he replied with a smirk. "Do you like it?"

"Like it?" she smiled in awe as she turned to him. "It's wonderful. I wish I had a place like this to work on potions."

"You're welcome to join me," he murmured. "I'll have to let you in, Slughorn has it so only his wand and mine can open the door." His hand had found hers, drawing her slowly in, and she swallowed hard. She tried to remember the words she had practiced in her head the last night, but they escaped her as her heart pounded in her chest and she leaned towards him in anticipation. It was not a long wait, as seconds later his head dipped, and his lips gently met hers. She sighed as her body relaxed against his, her fingers running up his robes to come to a rest on his chest. As her mind began to go fuzzy she inhaled, and could smell at least half a dozen different potions ingredients on him, and she found their scent intoxicating. His arms settled on her hips, pulling her into him, as his tongue ran across her bottom lip, asking for access she happily gave him. It was a long moment before they parted, and she slowly opened her eyes to look up into his. A smile crossed her face as she realized this was one of the times his eyes were soft enough for her to spot the shoots of brown in them. She chuckled and smiled, deciding that she wouldn't be able to break what they had off. They were already in too deep.

"What?" he asked softly, sounding slightly concerned, and she realized he was misinterpreting her chuckle.

"Just... nervous," she admitted.

"About what?" he asked softly, a smile tugging at his lips.

"I just don't know what to do with you, Severus," she replied with as playful smile.

His raised an eyebrow and looked as though he were holding something back, but when he talked all he said was, "Ready to study antivenins?"

She nodded, sitting next to him and opening a book up. But she found she couldn't concentrate on the work. Severus had started working on the practical, and she found herself mesmerized by his movements. He took such care with everything, every movement fluid, nothing wasted. It was hypnotic, and something she doubted very many people would see it for the true beauty it was, like he had said in their very first potion class.

"Enjoying the view?" he asked some time later, as he turned the antivenin down to simmer and looked up at her.

"Immensely," she replied unabashedly.

He smiled, truly smiled, softening his facial features and making him finally look as young as he really was. It was the most attractive she had ever seen him, and she felt her lower abdomen start to flutter with a hint of desire.

"How is the essay going?" he asked, sitting next to her.

"I haven't done anything new," she admitted, digging in her bag. "But I do have the part about properties done. I started into storage, if that helps."

"At least you're not being completely useless."

She scoffed and crossed her arms, determined not to smile.

"Hermione," he smirked, reading her perfectly.

"Fine. I'll prove how worthless I am by starting on dosage. How much do you weigh?"

"Why the hell would you want to know that?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because I'm half-tempted to inject you with a venom to do some testing, and I figured I should know proper dosage."

He laughed. "If you poison me, I think that's about a month's worth of detentions. Do you really want to be un-working knots for the next few weeks?"

"Don't tempt me. It's looking more worth it by the second," she smirked.

"I am just going to have to get rid of that temptation," he murmured, moving closer to her and sliding a hand up her back, winding it into her hair, and pulling her to him for a long, slow kiss. This time she melted against him, but it was over before she was ready, and her neck craned to meet his, but she wasn't able to re-connect with him. She let off a huff of disappointment.

"Temptation gone?" he asked.

"Nearly," she muttered, moving forward again to kiss him. A few seconds later they pulled apart again, and she smirked as if she was considering things. "I guess the temptation is gone now."

"Good," he replied. "Because there's no way I'm telling you how much I weigh. You're just going to have to base it on your weight."

"Watch your mouth," she grumbled.

They worked the rest of the day, only leaving when dinner was served and Hermione couldn't ignore her rumbling stomach any longer. They shared one more quick kiss before leaving the room, then walked together to the Great Hall. After sharing a few glances during dinner she mouthed 'good night' to him before returning to Ravenclaw tower to her bed. As she showered that night she counted that she had seventeen days left, and wondered if getting so close to Severus might not be such a bad idea after all.


	13. Moving Forward

**A/N: I want to apologize for the delay. I got sick, and for about a week it was all I could do to make it through the day, and there were a couple days where I barely made it out of bed. Of course, since I got it, my kids both got it, and because it would be inconvenient to get it one right after the other that's exactly what they did. On top of that there were storms, and an injured finger... luck has not been on my side. I should be better, and not make you wait this long again.**

During the week, between classes and homework, Hermione and Severus couldn't find more than a few stolen moments together, but that suited Hermione well. It was much easier to keep themselves in check if they weren't able to spend private time together. Still, she relished the moments they did have together, and how she would often look up during their joint classes to find him looking longingly at her hand, her lips, or, when he could meet them, her eyes. It was odd, Snape acting like a normal teenage boy. He seemed like one of those people who sprung into existence, fully-grown, and had been the same ever since. Severus had become separate from Snape in her brain most of the time, and it was only the occasional mannerism or action that would remind her that they were the same person.

"He's looking over here again," Danielle whispered with a mischievous smirk during their Herbology lesson as the group were huddled together, diagramming the parts of a Venemous Tentacula and labeling which parts were used in potions.

Hermione glanced up to see Severus was looking over. He rolled his eyes with an almost imperceptible nod of his head to Mulciber and Avery, who looked to be about as much help in his group as Crabbe and Goyle would have been with her. He mouthed the word _'Playwizard'_ at her, pointing a skinny finger at Mulciber's book.

She chuckled and turned back to her group. "He just wanted to alert me to something amusing," she said nonchalantly as she added a few leaves onto their diagram.

"It's just weird to have him looking," Danielle shrugged. "I don't think he ever noticed us before."

"He noticed, but he's indifferent. Ravenclaws and Slytherins aren't usually on the friendliest of terms."

She looked up to see her roommates giving her a collective look.

"What?" she tried to sound surprised. "This may only be my seventeenth day here, but I can tell the Slytherins don't do much socializing outside their own house. Everyone is kind of limited to their houses, though there is a little mixing. I haven't seen many good inter-house friendships."

"The exception is sitting before us," Selena said with a nod towards her.

"It's easy for me to not get sucked into the house rivalries, I'm an outsider," she lied, though living in Ravenclaw really did make her feel like an outsider. It wasn't her house, she hadn't had cause to visit, and she really only knew and spoke to Luna in anything more than an academic capacity. It was interesting, how much this Hogwarts didn't feel like it did during her time as a student.

"Well, there's Quidditch this weekend, Ravenclaw versus Slytherin, so you're required to pick a side, and it best be ours. You may be seeing a Slytherin, but we know, and have access to, where you sleep."

"I will most certainly be supporting Ravenclaw," she laughed. "I have no desire to wake up with a mustache or something of the sort."

"Oh, I never thought of giving someone a mustache in their sleep," Jennae said with a smirk.

"And you better not start with me," Hermione warned.

Nearby several boys started throwing a paper airplane to each other every time Professor Sprout's back was turned. The airplane would do a trick, sometimes two, before landing neatly in front of a boy, who would quickly hide it under his cloak. Hermione barely noticed them, instead she busied herself scribbling a few notes by the roots on their diagram. Each time the boys threw the airplane it did more difficult stunts, looping and twirling, going higher and farther so the boys would have to lunge to catch it. At just the moment Hermione reached up to stretch the airplane flew over her shoulder. The boy who had lunged for it couldn't stop, and Hermione was knocked backwards. She felt something puncture her right arm, and instinctively jerked it back, but realized a moment too late that she had made a mistake. Her arm had landed in a fanged geranium, which had immediately taken hold, and by trying to jerk her arm from it's mouth she had only succeeded in helping it take a large chunk of her flesh. She cried out and fell to the ground, blood running down the appendage as she struggled to wrap her cloak around it, already feeling light-headed. As the blood quickly poured from the wound she found it harder to concentrate on wrapping it up, and the outer parts of her vision became blurry.

"Miss Puckle!" she heard Professor Sprout shout, but her voice sounded distant.

"Hermione!" Jennae was next to her, trying to help her wrap her cloak around the wound, but she was suddenly shoved aside by, to Hermione's surprise, Professor Snape.

"Stay still," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," she replied automatically.

"Stop that," he replied with a soft chuckle. He pulled the cloak away from her arm and ran his wand over the wound, repeating the words, "_Vulnera Sanentur_," in a singsong voice. Slowly she felt the blood slow to a trickle, then stop completely. Her eyelids fluttered as she leaned backwards in relief.

"Thank you, Professor," she managed, though the words were slurred.

"Oh, dear," Professor Sprout's voice came from her other side, and she tried to tell her she was okay, but managed only a half-hearted groan. "She sounds like she would benefit from a little blood-replenishing potion. Mister Snape, would you please escort her up to see Madam Pomfrey?"

"Yes, Professor," he replied, and she felt several hands hoist her to her feet.

"Come on, Hermione," she heard Professor Snape mutter into her ear, and she was confused for a second. Did Professor Snape just call her by her first name? They left the Greenhouses and headed up the lawn towards the castle.

"Does it hurt?" he asked her.

"Not really, though I'm sure once my head stops swimming it'll hit me."

"Is that why you called me 'professor'?"

"No," she replied, as if her answer were obvious. "It's because you're my Professor. It would be quite rude for me to call you otherwise, not to mention you'd probably dock me fifty points."

He chuckled. "Did you hit your head as well? I know I may have taught you half of what you've learned since you got here, but I'm hardly a Professor."

"Is this an attempt at humor, sir..." she trailed off as her legs wobbled and she stumbled. Snape grabbed her around the middle and hoisted her back up. She managed two more steps before stumbling again. Suddenly she felt lighter, and her feet left the ground as he hoisted her into his arms to complete the trip up. She opened her mouth, and found words failed her, so she rested her head against his shoulder and feebly wrapped an arm around his shoulders, afraid of slipping away from him.

"Good heavens!" she heard Madam Pomfrey said, as there was the sound of rustling as she readied a bed. She was lowered as gently as possible into the bed, and she heard Snape collapse in the chair next to the bed, breathing heavily.

"What happened?" she heard the healer demand.

"Got a bad bite from a fanged geranium," he replied. "She tried to pull her arm away, and it just made things worse. She forgot you have to push into it for it to let go."

Hermione felt her arm lift up, and turned several ways as it was examined.

"Who did the healing spell on this?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"I did," Snape replied, a hint of pride in his voice.

"Excellent job, young man. I'll be talking to Slughorn, and making sure you get ten points for your quick thinking. You may return to class, if you wish."

Hermione's brow furrowed in confusion. What did Madam Pomfrey think she was getting at? Professors didn't get awarded points, and Snape would be a horrid DADA teacher if he couldn't heal a bite wound.

"May I..." he started cautiously. "May I stay?"

There was a long pause, then Pomfrey answered, "Yes, of course. I'm going to give her a blood replenishing potion, and something for pain, as that will probably return when she's got enough blood in her. If you would like to help, I'll give you some dittany to dab onto the wound, that should prevent the worst of the scarring, though she'll probably have a little of that as well."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Hermione felt something press to her lips, and she obligingly tipped her head back and let the first potion slide down her throat. A few seconds later she was given another one, and she felt Snape gently pull her arm towards her and start running a cloth soaked in dittany over the wound. She sank into the pillow behind her, exhaling heavily as she felt a surge of strength rush through her. Within minutes the room stopped spinning, and she felt her reason coming back to her. And as she did, she was grateful that there still wasn't enough blood to completely blush, because she quickly realized that she had mistaken the young Severus for her cantankerous old Professor. She really hoped he wouldn't remember everything she had said any longer than a few days or he might find it a very odd coincidence that she was so insistent he was a professor when it actually came true. Slowly she opened her eyes, to see Severus looking at her in concern.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly.

"Like I made a bloody fool of myself," she replied honestly, then she felt a throb of pain in her forearm. "And like I'm in too much pain to have you give me shit for it."

He smiled, examining her arm by running his fingers over the faint scars. "I'll just hold off now and ridicule you when you're let out of here."

She sighed dramatically and acted faint. "I may have to stay in here a few days. Maybe a week or two."

"I have a long memory."

"I'd believe it," she replied.

"Mulicber and Avery aren't going to be very happy you're making them complete their own assignment."

"Mulicber and Avery can kiss my..."

"Such immoderate language," he smirked.

"I've been attacked by a bloody plant. I should be allowed to curse a few times without repercussions."

"What kind of repercussions am I supposed to give you? Despite your insistence to the contrary, I cannot really take points."

"Which is good, because Gryffindor would never have a ruby in their hourglass if you could."

He smirked. "I may be a little biased."

"Just a little," she smiled.

"Feeling better?"

"Much. I wonder how long I'll have to stay up here?"

"Probably not long. I think she's going to want a little more color to your cheeks. You're still looking as pale as a ghost."

Hermione instinctively looked around, knowing if Nearly Headless Nick would be affronted if he had overheard their conversation, but there was no ghost in sight. "That spell you use earlier, the one that healed my arm. What was it?"

"Vulnera Sanentur?"

"Yes, that one."

"Something I discovered playing around one day. It means 'may the wounds be healed'."

She thought of asking why he would need to know such a spell, but the thought of the Marauders passed through her mind, and she decided she could hazard a good enough guess. Instead she asked, "You have to say it kind of singsong?"

"It works best that way. More a low chant than a quick shout or anything causual."

"Three times?"

"That depends on the severity or number of wounds. You run your wand along whatever wounds you want healed. Sometimes nearby minor wounds will be healed as well, but more severe wounds will need their own attention. A minor cut will usually be healed in one chant, I've seen wounds that need up to five chants."

She felt her heart sink, and she placed a hand on his. "How long have you been healing yourself?"

His jaw tightened for a moment, and he looked down at their entwined fingers as he murmured, "I first managed late in my second year. I was proficient by mid third."

She sighed, squeezing his hand.

"I wish I had known it earlier."

"You shouldn't have had to know it as early as you did,"she whispered.

"Don't. I don't need sympathy."

"What? Because you don't think I know what it feels like?"

His eye flicked to the scars on her arm. "It's different."

"It is. And yet, the results are similar."

"You did nothing wrong."

"I put myself in a poor situation."

"That seems like a poor excuse for what happened."

She bit her lip, not wanting to goad him. "How're my cheeks?" she asked lightheartedly.

"You're almost back to color. Would you like me to pinch them so they're nice and rosy?"

"Pinch my cheek and I'll curse the hand you use to do so," she warned.

Madam Pomfrey came back into the room. She checked Hermione's wound, her temperature, then her pulse. She gave her a glass of juice to drink, and said once she had finished the drink she'd be able to go, then hurried off to attend to a first year who had fallen off a broomstick. Upon seeing a bone sticking through the students leg Hermione quickly downed the juice, and stood up to leave. Severus led her quickly away.

"Some first-years should never be trusted on broomsticks," he said as the started to wander towards the Great Hall, where lunch would soon be served. It was still a little early, so she didn't object when he pulled her into a secret passage. She stumbled a little on a trick stone, and he grabbed her around the middle to keep her up, though her weight knocked them both off balance, and her back hit the wall behind her, his arms still tightly holding her.

"Still feeling a little wobbly, or are you just naturally uncoordinated?" he asked with a smirk.

"Shut it," she shot back. "How in the ruddy hell anyone is supposed to remember every single vanishing step or slippery stone in this place? It's like this castle is testing your magic by trying to kill you."

"What a way that would be to go. I'd put it on your headstone. Hermione Puckle- Killed by a castle. Muggles would be trying to figure it out for years."

"What makes you think you'd have any say on what goes on my headstone?"

"Because I'm obviously going to outlive you. You seem to be a magnet for trouble, whereas all I have are annoying Gryffindors to worry about. If I survive to graduation, I'm home free."

"You better not go before me, or I'm going to put exactly what everyone is thinking on your headstone."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Why must all our challenges be horrid?"

"Because you're insufferable."

"There you go with the compliments again. How is it you don't have a giant trail of panting witches following you wherever you go?"

"My devilishly good looks are too intimidating for them," he sneered, and she burst out laughing.

"I think you're good looking."

"You must have hit your head, then," he muttered before leaning down to kiss her. Her body relaxed as the kiss deepened, one of his hands was on her face, holding her to him, the other roamed up and down her body. She couldn't help but smile and mold herself to his body. Soon she felt weak-kneed, and it had nothing to do with her injury. She would have happily spent hours alone with Severus in that passageway if they weren't interrupted.

"Oh, Puckle, you could do so much better," a voice groaned and she broke her embrace to look over at James, who had a disgusted look on his face. Lily was peeking around his shoulders, looking concerned. Surprisingly Severus didn't seem to have a witty retort; one glance at Lily and he looked pointedly away. Seeing Harry's parents together, alone, made Hermione extremely uncomfortable. She wanted nothing more than to leave as quickly as possible.

"I beg to differ," she weakly shot back.

"James, let's just go," Lily said, tugging on his arm towards the way they had come, but James ignored her. She looked at Hermione, then pointedly turned her back on the situation.

"Puckle, you're intelligent, pretty, and one of the most alluring witches in this school. You could get anyone you wanted, why in the name of Merlin are you settling for _him_?"

"I would hardly call it settling," she replied with as much strength as she could muster, though she knew it lacked the edge she normally had when dealing with the Marauders. "He is nothing like what you make him out to be." She felt Severus' grip tighten painfully on her arm, then slacken dejectedly.

"What we make him out to be is a greasy, self-absorbed, mean-spirited git. He earns that reputation. You are the exact opposite, and I don't care what the saying is, opposites don't attract in real life. Come on, how could you stand to touch him? How does your hand not slip off him from all the grease?"

"Grow up," she hissed, grabbing Severus' sleeve, but he didn't need any further encouragement, quickly taking the lead as they hurried from the passageway and towards the Great Hall.

"He's the definition of arrogant prat," she grumbled when they were out of earshot.

"Yeah. He is," Severus replied, not looking at her.

"Severus, what's going on?"

"Nothing. I'll... I'll see you later."

"Oh. Okay," she murmured at his retreating back as he slouched towards the Slytherin table. She started walking down the Ravenclaw table towards her friends, but chanced a glance back at Severus before sitting. He was sitting alone, his back to her, shoulders slumped, with no food in front of him.

"How's your arm?" Jennae asked as Hermione sunk onto the bench next to her.

"Totally healed," Hermione said, rolling up her sleeve to show a small scar, which was all that remained from the fanged geranium.

"Good."

"Snape certainly rushed in to play white knight," Danielle said with a mischievous smile.

"He knew a healing spell. Sprout wasn't using anything, and I was losing a lot of blood," Hermione defended.

"He looked very concerned."

"We are seeing each other. I think he realizes that I'd ditch him in a heartbeat if he looked at me and laughed while hemorrhaging. Don't worry, he got some of the snark out of his system once I was recovering in the hospital wing."

"What did he say?"

"He insinuated I either had to have hit my head, or I'm not as smart as I let on."

"You did call him 'sir' in front of the whole class. We had to quash rumors that there was something more to that other than your recent trauma," Jennae told her.

"For some reason I confused him with one of my professors."

Selena suddenly had a horrified look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, concerned.

"I just thought about what class would be like with Snape as the Professor. It wasn't pleasant."

"You have no idea," Hermione muttered under her breath, but no one overheard her.

Severus was acting distant for the rest of the day, showing up at the last second for their Defense class, and leaving the moment the bell rang, saying there was something he needed to do. Hermione had a free period, so she went to the library alone to work on some homework. She had completed half her Transfiguration essay when someone sat across from her. Looking up she locked gazes with a familiar set of eyes- Harry's. With a pang of homesickness she realized it was not her friend, but Lily who had just joined her.

"Hullo," Lily said quietly.

"Hullo," Hermione replied, trying to look unconcerned as her stomach tied itself in knots. Even if she wasn't friends with Harry, it was widely known that Lily had given her life for her son, but because of her close relationship with Harry she felt guilty spending time with his parents knowing his time would be cut short before he could really remember them.

"I know we've met, but we haven't really gotten to talk away from the boys."

"James doesn't seem to like to let you out of his sight."

"Yes, well..."she blushed and shook her head. "How is everything going for you?"

"Very well. It's a nice school. Now that I've gotten into the swing of things, I feel like just another student."

"Good," she murmured, fingers nervously drumming on the table. "So... You and Severus are seeing each other." It wasn't a question, and Hermione simply nodded once in acknowledgment. "He and I have quite the history."

"I heard you were good friends, but had a falling out," she replied softly.

"Yes," she said, straightening up. "Did you hear what caused it?"

"I heard he used a word as a culmination of some tension between the two of you over the company he was keeping."

She nodded vigorously. "It's that company I'm wanting to warn you about. They're not a nice lot."

"I know. I'm trying to encourage him to broaden his horizons, but I know I can't fully drive him away. They're the ones who have shown him friendship during a tumultuous time in his life."

A look of guilt crossed Lily's face, but it only lasted a fraction of a second. "He pushed me one step too far."

"He had been humiliated and emasculated in front of a crowd of people. He would have picked any fight he could win at that point."

"You weren't there..."

"No. I wasn't. But I understand that sometimes people say things out of emotions that they really wish they could take back almost immediately."

"He and his friends have been saying things like that for a while now," she said, starting to sound frustrated.

"He despises that word, and I think I know why. He paid a terrible price for using it, and he'd give anything to take back what he said."

"He wouldn't. He doesn't need me anymore."

"He'd give me up in a heartbeat if you offered your friendship back. His behavior in front of you when you came across us in the passageway proves it. Had it just been James, he would have probably hexed him. You catch us, and he suddenly becomes quiet and distant from me. He's still hurting."

She was silent for a moment. "It doesn't change anything."

"I didn't expect it to. But you should know. All he has right now is his pride, and he can't afford to beg forgiveness again."

"Why do you want to be with him?"

Hermione thought a moment. "Because I know he's so much more than what he appears. And the more I get to know about him, the more I realize we're a good match. I think I'm putting more into it than he is at this point. Because his heart is conflicted."

"I can't..."

"I'm not asking you to. I just hope you'd think about it."

Lily stood, looking conflicted. "I hope he snaps out of it, the distance and silence towards you. Because he has exactly what he needs already, and it's not my forgiveness." Before Hermione could say another word she had disappeared into the stack of books.

Hermione tried to continue her essay, but after twenty minutes and no progress she gave it up as a bad job. She quickly packed up her things so she'd have time to drop them off at her dorm before going down to dinner, determined to catch Severus and talk to him. There was only two weeks left before she returned to her time, and she didn't have the time for him to mope.


	14. Together

Severus didn't come to breakfast the next morning, and Hermione seriously debated going to the Transfiguration corridor to wait for him. The problem with that idea was that McGonagall would be in the Transfiguration corridor. While Hermione was sure she had been forgettable enough in class, she didn't want to draw attention to herself by hanging out in the corridor with no reason other than she had to speak to a Slytherin. They had Runes together after, and she decided that she would force him to talk to her during the class.

She waited outside, but he only showed up moments before the bell, sliding into the room without even a hello. She held her tongue while they were handed passages to translate, then cast the Muffliato spell as the teacher sat to grade some papers so she could talk to him.

"Where did you learn that spell?" he growled, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Around," she shot back. "What the hell is going on, Severus?"

"Nothing," he replied shortly, bending to start his translations.

"Oh, no, you don't," she hissed, snatching his paper from him. "What did I do?"

His head shot up, and he looked her in the eye in surprise. "Why would you even think you did something wrong?"

"Let me think- one minute we're snogging in a corridor, the next you're refusing to even talk to me."

"It wasn't you," he muttered.

"Severus, if you're finished with me at least have the decency to tell me."

"I don't want to be finished with you," he said quickly. "I just... I thought we were keeping things a little more secret."

"Cat's out of the bag now, yeah?"

"Potter will have spread it all over school."

"So, what's the point in hiding it now?"

"I'm just not comfortable with doing much of anything in public."

"I'm not, either," she shook her head. "Had I known we would have been interrupted, I would have asked to go somewhere more private. But I don't want to stop now that the school knows. I know all about teenage gossip. We may be a topic for a day or two, then someone is going to do something boneheaded in class, and no one would give us a second glance if we started snogging in the middle of dinner. Didn't you see those two Hufflepuffs in the Great Hall after our Hogsmeade trip? Eating each others faces and no one spared them a second glance. How the teachers didn't see and put a stop to it..." she trailed off with a roll of her eyes.

The corner of his mouth upturned.

"If you want to tone this down, tell me. If you want it to be over, tell me. But I would hope you think more of me than to try to shut me out and hope I take the hint."

"I'm not giving you any hints," he said a little too quickly. "If it was anyone else who caught us..."

"I don't give a damn what James Potter says or does. He wouldn't have been daft enough to try to hex both of us. He knows Lily wouldn't back him up, and by now our duel in Defense is well-known enough he wouldn't want to face both of us when we're upset. He couldn't waste a chance to wreck a moment of your happiness. We'll just have to be a little more cautious about our privacy from now on."

A smile crossed his face and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "Would you like to work on our assignment after dinner?" he asked quietly.

It was her turn to smile. Their assignment was nearly done. So either their meeting was to finally wrap things up, or it was his way of asking for a little more private time together. Either way, she was excited for the chance, and nodded a little too eagerly, which elicited a satisfied smirk from Severus. She let up the charm and set about translating her runes.

A couple minutes later Severus leaned towards her.

"Can you help me translate something?" he asked, pushing a corner of his paper towards her. She looked at some hastily scratched runes he had obviously written himself moments before. The translation was simple, and a smile spread across her face as she read:

_Meet me in the Potions dungeon after dinner? We can go to the secret room, my beautiful._

She felt her cheeks flush at the compliment at the end. She nodded again, licking her lips unconsciously before gently nibbling her bottom lip. Severus pulled the paper back towards him, scribbling something else on the corner before nudging it back towards her and pretending to look up a rune in his book.

_Will you have lunch with me?_

She pulled out her quill and, after making sure they weren't being watched, wrote her reply in runes.

_That's nearly romantic._

He let off a soft chuckle as he read it. With a sly smile he wrote something under her note, then slid it back to her.

_Hard to be romantic stuck in this castle. But I could surprise you._

She wrote back: _I'll hold you to that._

He didn't write anything back, but there was the hint of a mischievous smile across his face for the rest of the class. When the bell rang he was prepared, springing up and walking out of the room. She rolled her eyes and bent down for her bag, and was surprised to find a single red rose sitting atop her bag. She stared at it in disbelief for a moment, then shoved her things into her bag and ran out of the room. Severus hadn't gone far, he was waiting in the hall, looking apprehensive as he glanced at the rose in her hand. She made sure the coast was clear before pulling him into their secret passage, and pressing her lips hungrily against his.

"If this is what I get for a single rose, I think next time I'll leave you a dozen," he smirked as they broke apart.

"Don't push your luck," she said with a betraying smile as she playfully slapped his arm.

"You can't blame me for trying," he shrugged.

They walked down to lunch together, and without hesitating he moved down the Slytherin table, where he sat next to Mulicber and Avery. Hermione hesitated, but slowly sank down next to him.

"Snape, you have to help me with this potions essay," Mulciber groaned, pointing to a paper with about seven inches of rather large writing on it. "I'm only up to four properties..."

"You managed to cover four properties in that space?" Severus asked, his eyebrow raising.

"Exactly why I need your help."

"That's OWL level stuff. I left all my notes at home."

"You probably know this off the top of your head."

"You know my rates."

"Come on. Can't you give me a room-mate discount?"

"Not if I'm going to be buying Hermione here flower deliveries."

"Severus!" she hissed, face turning bright red, but he only smirked and rubbed her leg under the table.

"Ah. Hullo, Puckle. I don't think we've had a chance to properly meet," Mulciber smiled, flashing a row of half-rotten teeth. "Everyone just calls me Mulciber."

"Pleasure," she forced herself to say, trying to force a smile, though her lips would barely upturn.

"Alard Avery," the other introduced, reaching across the table for an awkward handshake. Severus was studying each of them with curiosity at her open hostility.

"By the way, Severus, we need to finish our Venemous Tentacula diagram," Mulciber said casually, spraying crumbs from his mouth across the table and causing Hermione to completely lose her appetite.

"What the hell do you mean 'we'? I had that damn thing nearly finished. You had half an hour to do ten minutes worth of work. You couldn't finish it in that time?" Severus snapped, sounding dangerous.

"Come on, Severus," he said, seemingly oblivious to Severus' anger. "You said it yourself, it's only ten minutes worth of work."

Severus let off a snarl, but Hermione grabbed his hand, which was clenched in a fist on his lap, and the surprise of it caused him to look at her. "Severus and I have a lot on our plates right now with our potions assignment."

"Potions assignment, is it, girlie?" he asked with a leer and a wink.

She made a disgusted noise and rolled her eyes. "I'm going to go to the library," she said, standing up. "I'll see you later, Severus."

"I'll come with you," he said, glaring at Mulciber before standing and following her out. But they didn't make it to the library. Instead, she took an unexpected turn and walked out onto the grounds.

"Those two are a bit of work, aren't they?" she muttered.

"They take some getting used to. The attitude that someone else should do their work is not uncommon in Slytherin house. Most of them have grown up with servants to do things around the house, and money to pay for anything they need done outside that situation."

"And you're cashing in by being one of those people they pay to do things."

"They can pay me to do their homework, but they can't pay me to sit the tests for them. I would have thought only getting one OWL each would have given them some motivation to start doing the work, but, then again, I make decent money off their laziness."

"Why do you settle for their friendship when you're obviously a lot smarter than they are?"

"In case this may have slipped your notice, I am not exactly a popular student around here."

She bit her lip, but didn't have a retort. Hogwarts could be a very lonely place without friends. "Have you ever tried talking to some of the other students? The ones outside Slytherin? My dorm-mates are very nice..."

He let off a grunt, which made it clear he would be willing to say anything to make her feel better, but he wouldn't be following any of her advice.

"How about you have lunch with us tomorrow?"

"Are you sure you they'd want to?"

"I don't think they'd mind."

He thought about it for a long moment. "Fine," he finally said.

"Great," she smiled. They sat together, working on their potions assignment, until the bell signaled it was time for her to go to Transfiguration. She bid good-bye to Severus and hurried up the stairs to the Transfiguration corridor. She had a feeling James and Sirius wouldn't let her kiss with Severus go unmentioned, and she wasn't wrong, as they both turned towards her as soon as she sat down.

"Please tell me it's not true, Puckle," Sirius groaned, looking disgusted.

"Is there any chance of this being the end of the conversation?" she asked with a sigh.

"You were snogging Snivellous in a corridor!"

"I'll take that as a no."

"Seriously, Puckle, I bet he even tastes like grease."

"If you want to find out, why don't you snog him?"

"I'd rather snog a banshee. They probably look better. From what I've read about them, they sound like they look a bit like old Snivellous. Has anyone caught sight of his mother recently?"

"You are completely intolerable, Sirius Black," she hissed.

"And you could use a check of your eyes. Were you hit with a bad conjunctivitis curse when you were young?"

"That's enough!" she growled. "I've had enough of what you've been saying about Severus. I don't give a rat's arse if you don't like him, I don't give a damn if you'll ever like him, but there is only so much that your supposed good looks can do for you. When it comes to your personality, Sirius, I'd rather spend time with a hundred angry Snapes than one arrogant you."

Sirius shot her a dark look. "Perhaps I've been wrong about you, Puckle. You want to be mental, far be it from me to try to stop you."

"Exactly what I wanted from you," she beamed.

He rolled his eyes and turned to the front of the class, and Hermione let her face fell. She liked Sirius, at least, she liked Sirius in her time, and she hated being short with him, but the more time she spent with him in the past, the more she realized how much he had matured and sobered between his Hogwarts time and the time she first met him. It made her wonder what he would have been like if he had never set foot in Azkaban. Would James and Lily's deaths still have mellowed him? How much of the light in his eyes had he lost because of their deaths, and how much was the result of his imprisonment? Sirius was like Severus, nearly unrecognizable in the future, though she didn't separate him into 'Sirius' and 'Black' quite as easily as Severus was either 'Severus' and 'Snape'. Two decades would make both men unrecognizable, and claim the lives of the majority of the faces she recognized walking these Hogwarts halls.

The contemplations put her in a bad mood for the rest of the afternoon, and by the time she met Snape outside the picture of the giraffes she was downright testy.

"Who got your knickers in a twist?" he asked as they walked towards his private room.

"My knickers most certainly aren't in a twist," she grumbled. "I've just had a lot on my mind."

"Okay. So what's on your mind?"

"A great many things."

"Don't you sound like Dumbledore?" he sighed.

"Fine. If you must know, I've been contemplating how people can change drastically over time."

"Any one person in particular?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"No," she said, looking away, knowing that while it wasn't technically a lie, it was close enough to the truth it felt like one. She caught him eying her like he didn't believe her as he let them into the room, but he seemed to think better of calling her on the lie.

"Anything you want to talk about?" he asked.

She sighed, perching herself on the workstation as she let her bag fall to the floor. "Just thinking about everything that's going on beyond the castle walls, with Vol... You-Know-Who," she corrected when he flinched. "Just thinking that even if we survive this, we're going to be changed. Here, in Hogwarts, we're safe, but out there things are different. And we're going to have to deal with it soon. I'm just wondering if I'm going to recognize myself on the other side."

"How do you think it's going to change you?"

"I don't think I'll be able to not pick a side. And fight to the end."

"No one is going to be forced to fight."

"Aren't they? Is he going to respect those who would rather stay away from the fight, especially those who are Muggle-born?"

He inhaled sharply.

"Exactly. And after the Muggle-borns, it'll be the Blood Traitors, and after them, it'll be anyone who he doesn't like. He wraps his quest for power in a message about blood purity and magic is might, and all that shit, but at the core of it, it's his own personal quest for power, and it's doing nothing but destroying lives. And I see you with Mulciber and Avery and Bellatrix and Lucius... I know which way you're going. I can't stop it if you're determined to go that route, but I don't think it's really in your heart. I think you just want somewhere to belong. You want somewhere your name means something."

His eyes narrowed.

"I don't begrudge you that, Severus. I just wish you didn't see this as your only option to what you want. But I know you have no reason to go down a different path, and I just don't have the time to change that."

"What do you mean you don't have the time?" he asked.

"I won't stay here forever. I can't. Even if I did, I won't follow you down your path."

"You don't get it," he hissed. "Those people, they get me..."

"And I don't? Because I'm not part of your group?" she half-shouted. "Because I'm an outsider? I'm more connected to this than you realize, than I'm willing to admit right now."

"Why should I open to you if you're not willing to do the same for me?" he growled.

"You shouldn't. You shouldn't have to feel like you need to give anyone anything more than you feel comfortable with. But, in case you haven't noticed, I care about you, Severus. If I didn't, I don't think I would have been able to survive the sudden changes of emotions you're prone to. If you want an alternative, there always is one. You don't need to lose yourself to find a place to belong."

He glared at her in surprise. "You care about me?" he asked softly.

"I don't make a habit of snogging people I don't care about," she replied crossly.

He suddenly strode forward, grabbing her face and pulling her into a bruising kiss. She opened her legs so he could stand between them, and he responded by pressing as much of his body as he could against hers. His hands slid down her back, over her rear, and down her thighs. She felt them rest a moment on her knees, then cautiously slid them under her skirt, lifting it up so nearly all of her legs were exposed. His fingers ran along her thighs, and she could feel him growing against her inner thigh. It caused a surge of heat to rush through her body and settle below her waist. She reached up and pushed his robe off, and he didn't seem to mind as it pooled at his feet. Emboldened by her move he lifted her jumper over her head, and started tugging the tie around her neck. Once it was free his lips moved from hers, traveling down her jaw so he could nip and suck at her neck. A groan escaped her lips when he found a particularly sensitive spot and nipped it gently, her legs tightening around his, drawing him closer and making her crave more.

One of his trembling hands slid up her shirt, opening the first button. Her brain told her she needed to stop, but when she opened her mouth only words of encouragement would come. Before long he had all the buttons unfastened, and he pushed the fabric aside, revealing the simple white bra underneath. His lips left her skin with a noise of protest from her, and he leaned back slightly so he could take a good look at her.

"What's this?" he asked in a husky voice, running a finger over the scar she got fighting at the Ministry.

"I got on the wrong end of an errant spell."

"You seem to enjoy attracting trouble, don't you?" he smirked.

"You better kiss me again before you wind up on the wrong end of a not-so-errant spell," she muttered, drawing him back to her to kiss him deeply again. His hands came up to cup her breasts, squeezing and running his fingers over the tops. She moaned into his mouth, pushing her chest into his touch. She craved his touch, craved feeling desired and beautiful, and craved the moment that made her forget everything she had gone through in the past months, and the horror that was waiting for her when she returned to her time. She ran her hands down his chest, pulling his shirt from his trousers so she could reach up underneath, feeling his lean muscles tighten under her feather light touches. His lips left hers to wander her neck and chest again. His fingers found her nipples through her bra, and he began to gently tug and roll them. She bucked her hips against him, and it was his turn to let off a groan of desire.

It was only when he reached around her back and started working on the fastening of her bra that her brain decided to function again.

"Wait, Severus," she panted, hating herself for saying it, but knowing she wasn't ready for more.

He let off a disappointed noise, but withdrew her hands.

"It's not that I don't want it," she said quickly, trying to make sure he didn't feel like she was rejecting him. "I do, but I'm just not ready for that yet."

"I understand," he smiled at her, his chest heaving.

"You could easily make a girl forget where she is," she returned his smile and gave him a slow kiss.

A proud smile crossed his lips, and it was the first time she saw his teeth as he smiled. "You are so beautiful, Hermione. I thank whatever hard surface you hit that made you think it was a good idea to spend time with me."

"Stop," she laughed, pushing against his chest, but he held fast to her. "You need to stop putting yourself down."

"Mmm," he shook his head slightly. "We seem to have lost track of the time," he said, nodding at the clock that showed them it was only fifteen minutes until curfew.

"We should probably get going. I don't relish the thought of what Peeves would do if he caught us out after curfew together."

He laughed, but nodded. She went to button her shirt, but he pushed her hands away, watching her carefully as he did it for her. They put the rest of their clothing back into place, kissed good-bye, and went their separate ways. She had to sprint back to Ravenclaw, entering the common room with a minute to spare. She went up to the dorm, where Jennae was reading a book on her bed.

"Out studying?" she asked, looking suspiciously at Hermione.

"Potions assignment," Hermione replied.

"Right. Well, I may not have read the assignment properly, but you may want to cover that particular part of it up in the morning," she sneered, pointing to a love-bite on Hermione's neck.

Hermione bit her lip and blushed before they both dissolved into giggles. Hermione started changing into her night clothes, turning away from Jennae to avoid her friend seeing the second love-bite Severus had left at the top of her right breast.

"Things are going well, I take it?" Jennae asked.

"Extremely," Hermione nodded.

"Good. And that's about as detailed as I'm willing to get."

"That's about as detailed as I'm willing to tell you."

"At least you both look happier."

"Happier?" she asked, confused.

"You can't tell me you didn't notice the changes in Severus. He looks like he actually doesn't mind being around people at the moment, like he may even want to socialize."

"Which reminds me, he's eating lunch with us tomorrow."

"Fantastic," she pulled a face, but smiled as she continued. "When you first got here you looked like you had to battle your way across the lake to get here, and found death waiting for a fight at the door. You still looked a little lost, tired, and depressed for the first few days. But the more time you spend with him, the happier you both are. You're good for each other."

"Yeah," Hermione agreed absentmindedly. "Yeah. I think we are."

"Almost makes me want to give up some of my valuable homework time for a boy. Almost, mind you."

"One day, Jennae, you'll get lost in some guy for a day, and it might make you have to rush an assignment, but it'll be worth it."

"I'll take your word for it. Good night, Hermione."

"Good night," she yawned, climbing into bed and drawing the curtains. After tossing and turning for a few minutes she sighed, and put a silencing charm on the curtains. The feeling Severus had caused in her abdomen had barely subsided since they parted ways, and she knew she would have to attend to it if she wanted any chance of getting to sleep. She gave into her body's urges, the image of Severus playing in her mind as the ghost feelings of his hands on her helped bring her to climax. The feelings lingered until she finally fell asleep.


	15. A Realization

He walked up to her table the next day at lunch looking cautious, and like he was about to change his mind and bolt for the familiarity of the Slytherin table. To her credit Jennae smiled warmly, though Danielle and Selena were both looking uncomfortable, having only heard about the lunch that morning. As he sat his back became straighter, and he shot a look back at his friends, who were looking amused, Avery actually laughing at him. Hermione moved so she was blocking Severus' view of his friends, and reluctantly he turned towards the Ravenclaw girls.

"How did Care of Magical Creatures go?" Hermione asked after a few seconds awkward silence.

"Good. We were still working on unicorns. Nothing new or special," Jennae replied. "How are your classes going, Severus?"

"Well," he replied, eyes on his plate.

Everyone sat for another few moments in silence.

"Well, this is fun," Hermione murmured, pouring herself a glass of pumpkin juice.

"What do you like to do in your free time, Severus?" Jennae asked, shooting a look and a quick shrug at Hermione.

"I work on Potions," his eyes came off his plate.

"I've seen you working in class. You seem like you're very good at Potions. Do you like brewing?"

"It is an art form. Unfortunately I find our textbook lacking in certain places."

"Like what?" Selena perked up, and Hermione hid a half-smile. Leave it to Ravenclaws to perk up over a conversation about faulty textbooks.

Severus kept them entertained for half an hour with a rant about inconsistencies in Advanced Potion Making, and while Jennae, Danielle, and Selena listened intently, Hermione could tell that their interest was purely academic. When the conversation grew stale, the awkward silence returned. She pushed her food around her plate as Jennae tried to ask a few more questions, but Severus only gave quick, curt replies, and no conversation came. When it was clear that her friends and Severus weren't going to get along any better than an academic conversation she finished up quickly and excused herself. Severus gave a quick nod goodbye and followed her onto the grounds.

"Didn't go as planned?" he asked as she found a sunny spot to sit.

"It went better than expected," she lied. "I didn't expect you all to be best mates from the word go, but at least you got to talking a little."

"Hermione..." he started, raising an eyebrow as he sat next to her.

"Okay, it could have gone better, but it wasn't a total disaster," she smiled.

"It wouldn't have happened if you weren't there."

"They're good people, Severus. Most of everyone I've met in Ravenclaw are good people. Just because you don't get along with Gryffindors doesn't mean you have to isolate yourself with Slytherins."

"That's the way it's set up though, isn't it? Before we even go in they give us a talk, tell us that we're going to be sorted, and not that our housemates will be guides or mentors, that they'll be our _family_. Then they pit us against each other, giving us points for good behavior, taking it away for bad, honoring the ones who do the best at the end of the year while ignoring the others who worked just as hard... they reinforce that with Quidditch, which is house against house and rather vicious at times. Every year that hat tells us about the characteristics of each of the houses, so very early on you can look at someone's tie and know the kind of person they are. Even if it's not totally true. Are all Gryffindors brave to the point of recklessness? Hardly. Are all Slytherins ambitious to the point that they'll trample over their own mothers to get ahead? No, but that's the way we're viewed. It's the system they've set up for us, and until they get rid of it, it's the system we're going to have to live by. I'll admit I have some friends in my house who aren't helping by supporting You-Know-Who's cause. But people view all of us like we're spoiled, rich, and entitled. I'll admit, there are many in my house who fit that description."

"But you don't," she said softly.

"Does it matter? I'm in Slytherin. I've earned the reputation by where that sorting hat placed me."

"It must have had a difficult decision."

"Not hardly. My mother's family had been in Slytherin. I am not exactly a saint, though my crimes mainly consist of keeping my classmates afloat and charging them loads of galleons for the privilege. We use each other that way. It hesitated, but it was still pretty quick. I think it only hesitated because I'm only half-blood, but the Princes are an old wizarding family. I guess that's enough for Slytherin."

"Do you think things would be different if you were a Ravenclaw?" she asked, knowing it was the only house the hat might have thought about sending him if not Slytherin.

"Besides having easier access?" he smirked at her.

She sighed and slapped his arm.

"Probably. I don't know if anyone would be more apt to be my friend if I wasn't in Slytherin. I don't know if my friends in my house are really my friends, or if they see a means to an end in me. It's a hazard of making your friends in my house. Prove yourself unable to help them, and often you'll find yourself abandoned."

She bit her lip and kicked at a patch of grass.

"Did the hat immediately put you in Ravenclaw?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head, deciding this would be a good time to get him used to the idea of her in Gryffindor. "It thought for a very, very long time. Said I would make an excellent Gryffindor. I guess my desire to keep up with my school work won out, and it placed me in Ravenclaw. Which is lucky for me, I guess. You wouldn't give me the time of day if I was a Gryffindor."

"I don't know if it'd get to the point where I would make the decision. Being constantly around Potter, Black, and the rest of their group might have actually influenced you away from me."

"And your attitude towards Gryffindors would play no part in your decision to spend time with me?" she rolled her eyes.

"In case you haven't noticed, Hermione, I don't exactly have my pick of whichever witch I want. I'm not quite in the position to be turning away one who has sustained ample enough head damage to want to be with me."

"Stop that," she sighed with a smile. "I assure you that, of the extensive damage I have received over the years, none of it has been to my brain. You need to stop thinking that someone has to be wrong in the head to want to be with you. You are an intelligent man, and you can be quite caring when you want to be. You may not be the easiest relationship, but you are certainly worth the effort."

"I'm not sure if that's an insult or a compliment," he shook his head as the side of his mouth tugged upwards.

She leaned forwards and kissed him. "Take it however you want," she smiled.

"Compliment, then. And well-deserved."

"You can be quite arrogant, can't you?"

"And that would be the insult."

The bell rang, and they stood up and started walking back into the castle.

"Are you going to the Quidditch match?" he asked.

"Of course. Aren't you?"

"Yes," he nodded quickly. "Would you like to meet up?"

"So I can be the only Ravenclaw in a sea of Slytherins? I'd rather kiss an acromantula."

He let off a soft chuckle. "Well, I'm not sitting with the Ravenclaws. It would be considered base treason. I'd have to check everything I own for jinxes for weeks."

She laughed, thinking of what the twins would have done if they saw her sitting with the Slytherins, but it was cut off quickly as she would never be on the receiving end of both the twins pranks again. And that also reminded her that her memories of Snape remained unchanged. She was doing her best, and she seemed unable to change his future. She had ten days, and she had no idea what she was doing wrong, and how she could correct it. Why did Dumbledore never leave anyone explicit instructions?

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes. What you said just reminded me of a good friend who recently passed."

They walked in silence for a moment as he took a sudden interest in his feet. "How about this?" he started cautiously. "We can meet at the match, and sit with the Hufflepuffs?"

She nodded. "They seem like a neutral party."

"It's in their nature," he smirked.

"Shut it, Severus," she beamed, and gave him a quick kiss before running off to class.

XXXXXXXX

That next morning she met him in the Entrance Hall. She wore a blue and bronze scarf, glove, and hat set that she had borrowed from Danielle. He wore a green and silver scarf, but other than that was still in his black clothes. They walked towards the field together, chatting about a defense essay they had been set, and climbed to the stands with the Hufflepuffs. They sat in the back to be less conspicuous, but they still earned a fair number of looks from the students around them. As the game started, and the attention around them turned towards the field, he wrapped an arm around her, and she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Care to make a wager?" he asked.

"On the game? I'm not sure we're allowed. It doesn't involve seeing who dies first, or whoever winds up with a terrible injury, or..."

He covered her mouth with a hand, and she batted it away with a laugh.

"What wager were you thinking?"she asked.

"Slytherin wins, you finish writing our essay, and you make the doxy antivenin in class."

"Ugh," she groaned. The essay wasn't a problem as it was nearly done already, but she really wanted Severus to have as much practice as possible making antivenins. "Fine. If Ravenclaw wins, you have to nick some Ashwinder venom from Slughorn's stores, and we'll work on an antivenin for that."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"As you said, anyone can produce an antivenin for doxies, ashwinder venom is a little more difficult. I figure if we can do that, we can do doxies without a problem. And you have to clean up when we're done."

"Agreed," he said, looking up at the players flying quickly towards the Slytherin goal. "Our front three are the best we've had in years."

"Then you have nothing to worry about," she said, flinching at her statement was punctuated with Slytherin scoring the first goal of the game.

"Do you watch Quidditch often?"

"Are you kidding me?" she groaned. "My best friends are boys, who happen to be obsessed with Quidditch. They both play as often as they can get on the field."

"Your best friends are boys?" he asked, looking confused.

"Not here. Back at... back at Beauxbatons."

"And your friends are boys?"

"To tell the truth I'm a bit of an outsider."

"You get along with everyone so well here."

"Different people, I guess. I was always more interested in learning than making friends. I was punished socially for that transgression."

"But you did make friends," he pointed out.

"You have no idea what I had to go through to get to be their friends."

"Enlighten me."

"I honestly didn't like them at first. They made a bit of a habit of bending rules, if not totally breaking them, and were more wrapped up in the fact that they could do magic to seriously study much of anything. But we got caught in a bad situation, and I realized that bending the rules a bit isn't such a bad thing. I lied to keep them out of trouble, taking it upon myself, and we were friends afterwards."

"You based your friendship on a lie you told them to get them out of trouble?"

"There's... a lot more to it than that."

"I have time," he said as Slytherin scored another goal.

"As you said, school can be a lonely place. Are my friends the type I would have befriended had I had the choice of anyone? At first, probably not. They're a little too loose with school rules and their approach to homework is lackadaisical at best. But when they're the only ones offering, I jumped at the chance. Even if it meant I also started getting a little loose with certain school rules. And over the years they've grown to be like the brothers I've never had."

"No sisters you've never had?"

"I've had a couple female friends, but none as close as Ha... my male friends. And no real sisters."

"Ah, only child?"

"Very much desired by my parents, not so easily conceived. Plus their work kept them busy."

"What do they do?"

She was saved from answering by a particularly blatant foul by a Slytherin beater. They watched as Ravenclaw scored their first goal, and Hermione was surprised to hear the score was already 50-10 in favor of Slytherin.

"I should probably just get working on that essay now," she grumbled.

"You never know. Ravenclaw could get the snitch," he pointed out.

"Well, they better do it soon," she said as Slytherin scored again. "Or they're going to be too far behind."

"Well, your Seeker is very good. She's gotten Ravenclaw out of a fair few scrapes in the past. But you're right. Soon you'll be too far behind, and up to your elbows in doxy venom."

She groaned as Slytherin scored yet another goal, and she moved close to him and put her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her.

"You know, I might be willing too help," he said three goals later. "Out of pity. And the fact that you burned that potion..."

"You are not a forgiving man, Severus Snape."

"Why should I be forgiving? It wasn't a hard potion."

"And you should have realized I was distracted. You obviously knew I was messing up, and you said nothing. I maintain that you carry some of the blame in that burned potion."

"If that makes you feel better," he said, rubbing her arm.

The score quickly went Slytherin's way, and they pulled ahead 180 points to 40. A light drizzle had begun to fall, and Hermione had leaned in closer to Severus to take cover under the sleeve of his cloak. She was about ready to admit defeat and go back up to the castle when the Ravenclaw seeker went into a sudden climb just as Slytherin's chasers started to charge the goal. Her eyes shot from the Quaffle to whatever the seeker was reaching for. The gong signalling Slytherin had scored sounded, and a second later the seeker raised her arm in triumph. She looked towards the scoreboard to confirm, and saw that the game had indeed tied, 190-190.

"What's that count for?" she asked.

"Well, either neither team won, and the bet is off, or both teams won, and we're both on the hook."

"I prefer the first option."

"I will defer to you, my dear," he said, helping her stand and join the queue of students waiting to leave the stand.

"My dear?" she smirked. "Is there a reason you're going formal?"

"Would you prefer I call you something informal? Should I call you 'love', as Black does? Or 'that Ravenclaw girl' as Narcissa refers to you?"

"Call me what you want. 'My dear' just seemed formal, but if it's what you're comfortable with, or what you find fitting."

"So I could call you an insufferable little..."

"As long as it's not rude," she interrupted.

He gave an exaggerated sigh. "Must you take the joy from my life?"

"I wasn't aware what we were doing was taking joy out of your life. I have found it quite pleasurable myself," she said with a coy smile.

He didn't reply, but his grip on her hand became tighter.

"Would you like to meet down in my lab?" he asked as they entered the castle. "I'll go get our assignment. We could probably finish the essay today."

"I'll grab us some lunch," she offered.

"Meet you down there."

She hurried down the Ravenclaw table so she could give Danielle her gloves, scarf, and hat back before they got permeated with the scent of Severus' lab.

"And where were you during the game?" Selena asked as she came up. "We saved a seat. I looked in the Slytherin stands, thinking you might be with Severus, but you weren't there, either."

"Oh, did I forget to mention? Severus and I watched the game together, and we decided to sit with the Hufflepuffs so neither would be encroaching on the others' territory."

"So you were in the stands?" she asked, mischief thick in her voice.

"Yes. Of course. Where else would we be?"

"Taking advantage of an empty castle."

"I hardly need the castle to be empty to get some time alone with Severus," she replied. "Speaking of which," she muttered, starting to wrap food in a napkin.

"Things are really getting serious, aren't they?" her face fell a bit.

"Yeah. I guess. Not _that_ serious, but serious enough."

"Could you sit for a moment?" Jennae asked.

Confused, Hermione sunk onto the bench next to her. "What's wrong?"

"Did you see the newspaper this morning?" she asked.

"No. I had a bit of a lie-in, ate a quick breakfast, and met Severus. What's going on?"

In response Jennae slid that day's _Prophet_ across to her. Hermione's stomach dropped as she read of the murder of Benjy Fenwick, stating that 'only a few pieces of Mr. Fenwick were recovered, though a positive identification has been made. Below the picture of Benjy was the image of a man, struggling against a couple Aurors, being dragged into the Ministry.

"Aldaric Rossier," she whispered aloud.

"Evan Rossier's father," Jennae murmured.

Hermione looked up to the Slytherin table. Evan, a year older than Severus, was sitting next to Lucius, looking very dark. Lucius, for his part, looked to be trying to be supportive. Hermione scanned the rest of the article. "Known Death Eater," she groaned.

"A lot of those Slytherins have Death Eater parents," she said sympathetically. "Not Severus," she added quickly.

"He wouldn't. His father is a Muggle. His mother is a Blood Traitor for marrying one."

"We're just worried. We know you're very strong-headed about sides in this thing, and we're afraid that by being so close to a Slytherin you're making yourself a target."

Hermione looked at each of them, and wanted to tell them everything. Of how much she was already a target. And how she'd have a large bounty on her head in the future for being Harry's friend. "I'm going to go," she managed in a choked voice, picking up the food and forcing herself from the room and down to Severus' lab. He was waiting for her outside, and his face visibly fell as he saw her expression. Silently he let her in, and she put the food on the table, but neither of them made a motion to eat.

"What's wrong?" he asked after securing the door.

She looked into his eyes, and decided to ask him point-blank, "Severus, have you ever thought about becoming a Death Eater?"

"What brought that...?" he started, but she cut him off.

"Just answer. Honestly, please."

He looked at her for a long moment. "Yes," he replied quietly.

"And now?"

He reached for her hand and stroked her fingers. "The most important person in my life is very much against the idea. I wouldn't betray her."

A sob caught in her throat, and she felt tears stinging her eyes. "And what about when I'm gone?"

"We may have to part for a while to finish school, but it's only temporary, right?"

A tear fell down her right cheek. She opened her mouth to say more, but couldn't find the words. Instead she pulled him to her, pressing a kiss to his lips, but broke away when he tried to take her in his arms. "If I were to hide?" she managed.

"I would want to be there with you."

"And if you couldn't?"

"Why are we talking about this?"

"Because you're a good man, and I realized I'm being a monster," she whispered, before tearing herself from him and running from the room. She heard him try to follow her, but she ducked into a secret passage, and didn't stop running until she was in Ravenclaw tower. She sat on her bed, drew the curtains, cast a silencing charm, and started to cry. Getting herself into a relationship with Severus had been a mistake, one that she was now sure drove him closer to the Death Eaters. She had failed her mission. She would soon become one more person who had damaged Severus, part of the reason he was going to die on the floor of the Shrieking Shack. And it hurt, worse than she thought it would, because deep down she knew her feelings were shifting. She liked Severus, that part was obvious. But a rational woman did not carry on such a relationship, especially in a situation like hers, because they only liked the man. No, it was more than that, and she had to admit it, the way Severus had just admitted she was the most important person in his life at that moment. Somewhere, deep down, she was beginning to love him.


	16. Giving In

**A/N: Sorry for the delay and the shorter chapter. Hopefully the content makes up for the transgression!**

**Warning- it's about time we start really earning that rating.**

"Hermione?" Jennae called, cautiously opening her curtains. When she saw the tear tracks running down Hermione's cheeks she pulled the curtains wide and enveloped her in a hug.

"What happened?" she asked. "Did you guys fight?"

"No. I came to a realization about something, and ran away from him."

"I thought something might be up. He's stalking around the bottom of the tower, but he won't ask anyone to find you. He looks really hurt."

"I've hurt him worse than he realizes."

"Do you think sitting in here and refusing to talk to him about it is doing either of you a favor?"

"No. But I don't know what to say. There's nothing I can do that won't hurt him."

"Even staying with him?" she asked, confused.

"That could possibly be the worst option right now."

Jennae sat up straighter. "What's going on? What aren't you telling me?"

She looked pleadingly at her friend. "Please don't ask. I hate lying, but I can't tell you the truth."

Jennae studied her. "Hermione, I'm speaking as your friend here, and I hope you count me as one. If there's something more to you being here than you can tell me, that's fine. If there's something big going on between the two of you, that's fine, too. I understand that there's some things people don't want to talk about, and if that's the situation, I'm okay with that, since we don't know each other well enough for me to expect you to let know your secrets. So you may ignore my advice if you don't feel we're good enough friends for me to be so stark, but you need to talk to him. It's not fair to him for you to run off like you did. You need to work this out with him, whatever conclusion it may come to."

Hermione wiped her eyes and nodded. She had nine days to make things right. She had no idea how to do so, but she had to try. After a moment to compose herself in the bathroom she slowly went downstairs, composing what she was going to say to Severus in her head, but knowing that he had a tendency to force her off-script. This time proved no different. She wanted to say something as soon as she saw him, but he had a different plan.

"Severus..." she whispered as she exited the tower to find him shrunk against a wall.

Before she could react he grabbed her wrist, dragging her into a secret passage. He cast two spells in either direction to prevent them being disturbed or overheard.

"If you are going to give me a lecture about talking to you if this is finished you should damn well have the decency to return the favor!" he growled.

"I don't want it to be finished," she managed in a murmur.

"Calling yourself a monster and running out is not usually the behavior of a woman who wants her relationship to continue. What is going on, Hermione?"

"I wish I could tell you, Severus. But I can't."

"Why don't you try?" he hissed through clenched teeth.

"I really can't."

"What kind of fool do you think I am?"

"I would think that I, more than anyone else in this school, would know you are not a fool."

"So why the hell did you run away?"

"Because I was scared!" she shot back.

"Do I scare you? Does my confession about thinking of joining the Death Eaters make you fearful of me?"

"I'm not afraid of you, Severus," she shot back.

"Then what are you afraid of?"

"The way I feel for you!" she snapped, unable to stop the words flowing from her mouth. "You told me that I'm the most important person to you right now, and it made me realize that you're the same to me. And I wasn't ready for that realization!"

His facial features softened, and they both took a few breaths before she continued.

"I didn't come ba... I didn't come here thinking that I was going to find someone who makes me feel the way you make me. And I'm a monster for letting this get to where it is. Because I'm not staying. I can't stay. And it's not fair to you for us to continue this, because I won't be here much longer."

"Shouldn't you let me have a say in whether or not it's fair for this to keep going?" he asked quietly.

"I'm leaving, Severus. As soon as my grandfather dies. And we've been talking about going into hiding for a while. My family isn't fond of our pro-Muggle leanings. I don't know if they'd go so far as to join Voldemort..." she clenched her teeth as he flinched, "however, we don't want to take the chance."

"Then I'll come with you. We'll find somewhere safe, out of the country..."

"Stop," she raised her hand, fighting tears again. "You have no idea how badly I want it to be like that."

"Then why can't it?"

She looked up into his eyes. "I wish I had a good answer for you. But I don't think it's possible."

"I don't understand. If you want it to be like that, why can't it be?"

"It goes back to me being a monster. My pare..." she trailed off, unable to lie to him any longer. "When I disappear, I'm going to be gone a very long time. No one will be able to find me, and I can't stop it from happening. It's really out of my hands. But I'll be back. And when I return, you'll realize why I'm such a monster. You may not even recognize me at first, but I don't doubt you'll figure it out quickly. You're too smart to ignore everything that's going to happen. And you'll figure out how I got here, and probably why I'm here. And I know it'll make you furious. You have every right to hate me, I realize that now, because I know I'm going to hurt you when I leave."

"I don't understand, Hermione. If you know we're going to be together in the future, why leave me behind now?"

"I can't stop it. I'm bound by what brought me here."

"But we'll see each other in the future?"

"It is going to be a long time."

"And when we meet again?"

"At first, it'll be different. But there will come a point in the future when everything will fall into place. And I want things to be like this again. I want you, Severus, for as long as I can possibly have you, but I understand if you can't bear to look at me by the time that happens."

"How could I not be able to look at you? There's nothing I want to do more."

She smiled, though a tear escaped and fell down her face. "If only you could always feel like that," she said sadly.

"It's how I feel right now."

"I'll take it."

He used his thumb to wipe away the tear. She bit her lip to stop any more spontaneous confessions.

"Did you mean it? When you said you feel like I'm the most important person in your life right now?" he asked, sounding vulnerable.

"Yes," she whispered. "I hope you'll be the most important person to me for a long time to come."

It didn't take even a heartbeat for him to kiss her, wrapping his arms around her to draw her as close to him as possible, and she clung to him as though the moment would be their last together. The desire she often felt while with him swept through her, but it was quickly overcome with something else. Need. She knew she was lost to him.

"Can we go back to your lab?" she asked him.

He studied her face for a moment before slowly nodding. He grabbed her hand and led her through the castle. As they descended towards the dungeon a thought came to Hermione. Perhaps her memories of Snape weren't changing because it wasn't about preventing him going to the shrieking shack. Perhaps it was more about trying to make it so he'd fight for his life. Snape was a force to be reckoned with, anyone knew it and Voldemort would be a fool to take his fighting skills lightly- and that Voldemort had proven himself a fool to that point. He had talked to Slughorn about Horcruxes, and left the memory in tact for Dumbledore to retrieve and use against him. He had, several times, trusted others with important jobs, and always failed. He refused to let others help him kill Harry, and that was probably why Harry was still alive. And it was why he misunderstood the bond that would be created when the Potters died saving their son. It cost him his body, and set his war back. If Snape would just fight in that Shrieking Shack he might buy enough time to escape- saving his life. It would buy them more time to kill Nagini so when Harry faced him he would be the last Horcrux, and there would be enough fighters around even Voldemort, in his mortal state, might fall. Or, she didn't dare hope, if she managed to get a message to Severus telling him she knew Harry was a Horcrux and she could tell him, that if he managed to get out of the Shack and draw Voldemort away from the battle she'd have enough time to read the parts of the books about Horcruxes she had only skimmed before out of her complete distaste for the subject, and maybe, hidden in their depths, was the key to how to separate the Horcrux from Harry and he'd survive. If they could do that perhaps a fight against Harry, Severus, and herself would be too much for even Voldemort. It sounded crazy, but there had to be a reason she was back. A reason she wasn't trying to save Sirius, Remus, James, or Lily. Because Severus had a chance. He just needed a reason to fight in that shack. The others had all died fighting, Severus didn't. He didn't have a reason to fight. The others did. Maybe she was going back to give Severus a reason to fight. If he just thought someone who cared, someone who wanted him...

He pressed his wand into the stone that concealed his lab, and stood aside for her to enter. She steeled herself as she entered the room, said a quick thanks to Merlin in her head that Severus kept things so clean, and pointed her wand at the empty lab table, turning it into a bed. Slowly she turned towards Severus, who was staring at her in wide-eyed surprise. Reaching out for his hand she pulled him towards her, pressing a lingering kiss to his lips.

"I need this, Severus. We won't if you don't want to, but..."

She was cut off as he pulled her roughly to him, crashing his lips onto hers as she began to fumble with the clasp on his cloak, pushing it off his shoulders until gravity took over and it fell to the floor. It was his turn, and he shed his jumper before pulling hers over her head, and his hands dropped to her sides, sliding up and down her soft skin as she cautiously unbuttoned his shirt. As she pushed the fabric off his chest he fumbled for a second with the clasp of her bra, and she let it fall down her arms and land softly between them. She could feel his hands start to tremble as he broke their kiss, but didn't open his eyes until he had created enough room between them he could look over her properly. She took the opportunity to study him as well. He was lean, anyone who looked at him knew that, sinewy muscles tensed in anticipation under pale skin. There was a dark line of hair from his navel trailing downwards. An angry pink scar ran across his right shoulder, disappearing towards his back. She reached out to trace it, and the shock of her touching the spot drew his attention from her body.

"What happened?" she asked softly.

"I stepped in to stop my father from killing my mother. He got one hit before I hit him with a stunning spell. It happened three days before the start of term. I ran, caught the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley. Lucius helped me to Kings Cross to catch the train. He gave me the money to stay at the Leaky Cauldron, too."

"Is your mum okay?"

"She left him enough liquor to make him forget it, and went to stay with a sympathetic cousin for a while. She's already back with him. He's good at telling her what she wants to hear to get her to come back. As soon as I'm seventeen I'm leaving. He's going to kill her, and she's going to let him."

"Severus..."

"I don't want to talk about them. I don't. I just want to spend time with you. You make me forget."

"Whatever you want," she smiled, leaning forward to kiss him passionately. He pulled her to him, and she responded by throwing her arms around his neck and desperately clinging to him. She pulled him towards the bed and gently pushed him onto it. She kicked off her shoes, wiggled out of her jeans, and pulled off her socks before she moved back towards him. Looking at her body in awe, he reached for her hand, pulling her towards him. She sat astride his lap, and he kissed her neck. One of his arms snaked behind her back to support her as he began to kiss lower, and she had to bend backwards to give him better access. He paused as his other hand came to her breast, thumb lightly brushing her peak, smiling as it immediately started to perk under his attention. A purring noise erupted from her as his hand cupped her, massaging her, rolling her peak while he peppered her neck and chest with kisses. After an agonizing wait and a few whispered pleas he finally lowered his head to her breast, and kissed around her nipple before running his tongue over her peak. The combined sensations of his hand and his warm mouth caused her to buck against him, and she became aware of his cock, straining against his pants, begging for contact. One of her hands moved between them, running up and down his length, causing him to groan and grip her a little tighter. He moved his mouth to her other breast, lavishing attention on her, and she managed to unfasten his pants so she could reach under the fabric. She was surprised by the feel of him, the skin soft and silky, though firm, and it bucked against her hand as she touched him. She cautiously worked him up and down until she found a rhythm that caused Severus to forget what he was doing so he could feel her.

Suddenly Severus grabbed her wrist, pulling her off him and pushing her down onto the bed. He started kissing her breasts again, then moved lower, down her stomach until he reached her knickers. He hooked his long fingers into the sides, pulling the fabric slowly from her body, unabashedly staring at her. He ran his fingers back up her legs, skimming her inner thighs as he gently pushed her legs apart. He felt the short curls of hair between her legs, and found them damp with her excitement. He backed off the bed long enough to rid himself of his pants and shorts, and she found it was her time to stare. She had never thought of Snape as a sexual being, but with him standing nude in front of her she realized there was nothing she wanted more than to feel him against her and inside her. He climbed back onto the bed, positioning himself over her, and they shared another long, slow, passionate kiss as he positioned himself at her opening. Without warning he entered her with one quick, hard thrust, and she gave a surprised yelp as he broke through her barrier.

He stopped, staring at her in shock. "You're a virgin?" he whispered.

"Yes," she replied softly, keeping her breathing even as the pain dissipated and she got used to the feeling of her core being stretched.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know when I would have. And it doesn't change anything."

"Yes, it does. I would have been more gentle. I would... are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't."

He kissed her again and whispered, "Just let me know if I'm hurting you?" against her lips.

She nodded, and rocked her hips against his to let him know she was ready. He lowered himself onto his forearms so he was closer to her, kissing her deeply as he began to move inside her. When she felt comfortable she began to rock her hips in rhythm with him, letting off a content moan when their motions caused him to hit her sweetest spot. She let her inhibitions go as his lips wandered over every inch of her skin he could reach. The fingers of her right hand wandered aimlessly over the skin of his back while her left played with the silky locks of his hair. He hissed in pleasure as she raked her fingers across his skin as she felt her body start to tighten. His thrusts came faster as her breath came in ragged spurts, she clamped around him, and her head rolled back as with his name on her lips. Her release washed over her as she desperately clung to him. After a few more thrusts he spilled into her, panting against the skin of her neck.

After a few seconds to catch their breath he shifted so he could look at her. She lifted her head to catch his lips, and refused to break the connection as he moved to lay next to her, taking her in his arms. One of his hands came up to brush her face, thumb running over her cheek, and when they finally broke apart they barely moved away from each other.

"Stay with me, here, tonight?" he whispered.

"Of course," she replied.

His hands slipped around to her back, pulling her closer to him. He produced his wand and conjured a blanket, pulling it up to their chests to protect against the cold air of the dungeon that was starting to creep over them. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder, inhaling his scent, committing the moment to her memory.

"Thank you," he whispered after a few quiet moments.

"For what?" she asked, looking up at him.

He looked at her as though the answer were obvious. "I didn't deserve to be your first," he muttered.

She scoffed and kissed him. "Don't talk nonsense. You deserve happiness, Severus."

"Happiness isn't forever."

"You may not be happy all the time, but that doesn't mean you life has to be unhappy."

He huffed.

"Stop that, Severus," she reached up to touch his face. "Life isn't going to always be happy, I'm not naïve enough to think differently. But that doesn't mean it has to be an unhappy life. I'm sure there are things that make you happy, memories you can draw upon during the unhappy times."

"Now there is," he ran his hand lightly up and down her arm.

"I know it doesn't mean much, and I don't expect anything in return, but you should know I love you. Not as deeply as I could, this is young and still growing, but enough that you should know."

He stared at her in surprise. "Doesn't mean much?" he managed in a choked voice. "It means everything."

"Do you think we'll be able to survive a separation?"

"I would give anything to keep this for the rest of my life."

She smiled and kissed him, then settled against him again as he waved his wand so all the lights went out save for a single candle. As she drifted to sleep she counted days. When the sun came up she'd have less than eight days before she returned to the battle. It was no longer eight days just to convince Severus to live and show him a path how to survive, it was now eight days to convince him that what they had would hopefully survive their separation, and that they'd be able to be together after Voldemort was dead. The task seemed a little daunting, but as he kissed her forehead she was resolved to fight for him.


	17. A Perfect Day

**A/N: Short, but necessary. The next update might take a while. Life is about to get a whole lot of crazy. My princess, er, eldest daughter is turning 5, and it's turned into somewhat of a production (2 parties, her grandparents visiting from another state, etc), not to mention it's the end of her school year soon, and there's a ton of end-of-year activities. I'll try to update as quickly as possible!**

She woke up slowly, blinking several times as she tried to orient herself. The room was dark, the lone candle nearly out. The chill had overcome at some point in the night, and Severus had conjured a second blanket. She was still wrapped around him, could feel his cock pressing into her thigh and the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest underneath her. There was a dull ache between her legs, but it thrilled her. She looked up towards Severus' face, and saw him looking down at her, a small smile on his lips, the light from the candle dancing in his black eyes.

"Morning," she whispered.

"Good morning," he replied, kissing her forehead.

"How are you?"

"I can't remember a morning I've enjoyed more. You?"

"The same. Did you get any sleep?"

"More than I'm used to. Curfew is going to lift in about five minutes."

"Good."

"Eager to leave?" his eyebrow arched.

"Desperate need to pee, more like."

He chuckled.

"Laugh all you want, but could you imagine what it would be like if Peeves got any idea we were down here all night?" she asked with a shudder.

"Could you imagine the look on Black's face when he heard whatever lewd song Peeves started singing?"

"Don't start that, Severus," she groaned, burying her head in his neck. "You'll just make me upset, and I'm in such a good mood."

"I can think of a few reasons I'd want you to stay in a good mood," he muttered, lifting her chin so he could kiss her.

"You do know our dorm mates are going to have noticed our absence," she sighed.

"All the more reason to hide out here all day."

"And tomorrow morning, when we have to go to class?"

"You went on an unexpected visit to your grandfather. I doubt anyone will give much of a shit where I was."

"Do you propose we don't eat all day?"

"I could be distracted enough to forget that I'm hungry."

She chuckled. "I might for a while, but there's still the bathroom conundrum."

"That one would be problematic. I'd be horribly upset if you soiled my lab."

"But you don't mind me defiling it?"

"That I think I can live with."

She craned her neck to kiss him again. "I'll make up some sort of excuse with my dorm mates. I need a shower, and I would like breakfast, but I wouldn't mind spending the rest of the day with you."

"Meet down here after breakfast, then?" he asked, hopefully.

"I'm looking forward to it," she smiled, kissing him.

She made sure the coast was clear before slipping out to the hallway. Deciding it was worth the risk of getting caught doing magic in the hallways she cast a Disillusionment charm on herself, and hurried through the corridors. She lifted the charm as she made it to Ravenclaw tower, where a small trickle of students were leaving to go to breakfast. Luckily none of them were her dorm mates so she was able to get into the tower without a second glance. Deciding to shower before she ate, she slipped into her dorm room, and couldn't believe her luck to find Danielle, Selena, and Jennae still asleep. As quietly as possible she opened her trunk and started getting her shower gear out. She knew her luck couldn't hold out, and when she tried to close the trunk it slipped, slamming down.

"Hermione?" Jennae asked sleepily.

"It's just me," she whispered. "I was going to take a shower. I'm sorry I woke you."

"Give me a second," she said, sitting up. "I'll go with you."

Hermione swore to herself, but waited as Jennae quickly got her things together. They went to the bathroom, taking shower stalls next to each other.

"Where were you last night?" Jennae asked as they got undressed.

"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to gauge what her friend knew.

"We were up until around midnight, and you didn't come back."

"What were you doing up until midnight?"

"We studied in the common room until about ten, then came up here. Danielle went to sleep quickly, but Selena and I stayed up reading."

"Severus and I got caught up finishing our essay, and I got in a little after ten. Then I wanted to get my Transfiguration work done, and polished my Charms essay. I went to bed around one in the morning."

"And you're the first one up?"

"I guess I'm just used to getting up this early."

There were a few moments silence as they stepped into the showers.

"Hermione? You know you don't have to lie to me. I won't tell anyone."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her stomach sinkin.

"I woke up a few hours ago. You still weren't in bed. And it's still made."

"Damn. I forgot that part."

"Were you with Severus?"

"Yes. We got a little carried away, and decided we weren't going to risk being caught out after curfew."

"Where were you?"

"A secret place only he, Slughorn, and I know about. And Slughorn doesn't use it at all. It's a nice little quiet place where we can spend time together alone or, if we're in an academic mood, blow things up without a crowd around."

Jennae laughed. "We were thinking of going out this afternoon to do some flying. Would you like to join us?"

"Oh, no. I don't fly."

"Come on, Hermione. You can't stay in the castle forever, no matter how distracting Snape is."

Hermione laughed. "I promised him we'd spend a little more time together, but I guess I can make it down to the pitch later. I'll stay on the ground, though, thanks."

"Hermione..."

"I really don't like flying."

"Fine. You can bring Severus if you want."

"I'll ask him. I don't know if he's much of a flier," she finished, biting her lip, remembering that Harry told her that Severus knew how to fly without broomstick later, so he probably wasn't shy about using one during his Hogwarts years.

She ate breakfast with her friends, and hurried back down to find Severus. He hadn't come up for breakfast, or if he had it had been while she was showering, but either way he wasn't in the Great Hall. When she reached the dungeon she hadn't even had the chance to step off the bottom stair when she heard someone running towards her. Without a word Severus pulled her around a corner into a darkened passage, pressed her into the stone, and started kissing her furiously, pushing her t-shirt up a few inches, winding a hand into her hair so it was messed up. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest against hers as he tried to kiss her and catch his breath at the same time, and then he was shrugging out of his cloak, which fell to the floor with an odd, muffled clanking noise. She tried to pull away to ask him what was going on, but he pressed harder into her so her shoulders and head were pressed painfully against the stone. Suddenly there were another set of footsteps, along with heavy breathing.

"Stop!" Slughorn said, and wand light suddenly filled the passage. Hermione blushed as she pushed Severus off. Slughorn's face went from anger, to surprise, to pride in the span of a few seconds.

"Mister Snape!" he chastised, though he punctuated it with a loud chuckle. "Miss Puckle! My apologies, my apologies! I did not mean to interrupt."

"Not a problem, Professor," Severus said, a hint of irritation in his voice, as though he were upset at the interruption, but Hermione caught a mischievous look Slughorn immediately mistook for satisfaction at his actions.

"I caught some scalawag in my private stores this morning, and I thought they ran this way."

"Oh, no," Hermione gasped. "Do you know who?"

"Unfortunately, no," he waved his hand. "I'll have to do an inventory, but some of your classmates are quite fond of brewing up love potions. I have some of the more rare and expensive ingredients. Though it seems you two hardly need the assistance. Now, as your Professor, and your Head of House, Mister Snape, I must insist you move along."

"No problem, Professor," Severus nodded, gathering their things. "We were planning on doing some studying."

"There are plenty of nooks around the castle, m'boy. Much more private, and less spider-infested, than this old passage."

"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

"I'm sure it won't," he winked.

Severus led Hermione out of the passage, and started to lead her upstairs. They crouched by the top of the stairwell until they heard Slughorn go into his office. Hermione crossed her arms and looked up at Severus.

"So, what did you steal?" she asked with a smirk.

"Do you think after that I'm going to show you where we might get caught by witnesses?" he hissed, grabbing her wrist and quietly leading her towards the private lab. Once they were safely inside he unwrapped a small jar from his discarded cloak. Inside was a liquid the color of ash, though it glowed softly red whenever disturbed.

"Is that Ashwinder venom?" she whispered, holding her hand out so she could examine the jar more closely.

"Yes."

"Why?" she asked in surprise, holding the contents up to the candle.

"You seemed as though you really wanted to work on the antivenin. I thought we could work on it together, since it means a lot to you."

She carefully put the venom on a shelf before launching herself at him. He dropped the cloak to wrap his arms around her, already tugging at the t-shirt she was wearing. She let him peel it off her, and he threw it to the side as she started fumbling with the buttons of his shirt.

"Damn you, why must you always wear so many bloody buttons?" she growled, and pointed her wand at his shirt. Immediately all the buttons unfastened themselves, and she pulled the shirt off and let it fall. He grabbed her waist and pulled her to him, reaching around as their bodies collided to take her bra off. She slid out of her pants as she did the same, and they laid side-by-side on the bed. She reached between their bodies and carefully wrapped her hand around his cock, gently moving up and down, and he groaned as his lips left hers, peppering her neck and jaw with kisses, gently sucking and biting in places. She wrapped her leg around him, pulling him on top of her, and rubbing against him to let him know she was ready. His hand moved between them, and he slipped easily inside her.

Their second time was easier than the first. She knew his rhythm, and rolled her hips to match his movements. He knew where she liked to be touched, what spots made her purr, where he could suck on her skin so her fingernails would rake across his. She refused to close her eyes unless he was kissing her, she wanted to see him, to know every moment was real. They finished together, and he collapsed next to her, refusing to let go of her.

"I could get used to this," she murmured against the skin of his neck before kissing it lightly.

He chuckled. "It would be nice to have somewhere else to meet besides this cold little hole in the wall."

"Like where?"

"What do you mean?"

"Once you're done with school you're going to have to live somewhere. Where were you thinking of living?"

"Not a damn clue. It'll be somewhere small. Somewhere inexpensive. I doubt I'll be making much money right after I leave school."

"What about when you're a little bit older? Once you have a job and a bit of money."

"Probably still somewhere small and inexpensive. I don't need a lot of space."

"What if I were with you?"

He studied her face for a long moment. "Some cottage. Out in the hills. With no one around us. Somewhere I could grow brewing ingredients in the backyard and not worry about some nosy neighbor wondering what I'm up to. It doesn't need to be big, I don't want kids, but perhaps a second bedroom for visitors. Somewhere where the air is fresh and the skies are visible at night."

"Sounds like a little slice of heaven," she murmured.

"I'd want enough area outside for flying."

"I didn't know you flew."

"Not much, but it is a good way to relieve stress."

"How would you like to release some stress this afternoon, then? My friends invited me flying, but I don't. But they invited you as well."

"I'll try to make it."

"Really?"

"It's important to you. Maybe tomorrow after class we can work on the ashwinder venom. I don't want to wait too long."

"Neither do I," she smiled, kissing him.

They stayed in the room until lunch, then he told her he'd meet her on the Quidditch pitch. She had lunch with her friends, and after they made their way out of the castle and down to the pitch. The day was crisp, but not too cold, and the sky was clear with only a soft breeze. There were many students flying through the air, enjoying what might be their last nice weekend before the winter. Hermione bid her friends goodbye as they went to collect some of the school brooms. She watched as they flew laps around the pitch.

"Sitting here all alone?" Severus said behind her, and she turned quickly to see him hovering on a broom just out of her reach.

"When did you get here?" she asked.

"Came out of the castle a few seconds ago. I got Lucius to lend me his broom."

She eyed the sleek, expensive looking broom. "Looks fast," she murmured.

"It is. Want a ride?"

"Not a chance."

"Hermione..."

"I don't like flying. I feel like I'm going to fall off at every turn."

He laughed. "Do you think I'd let you fall?"

"Not on purpose, obviously."

"Trust me, Hermione," he said, getting close enough for her to climb onto the broom.

She sighed, and stood up. Cautiously she let him climb onto the broom in front of him, and he reached around her, bending her over so their hands were on the handle. Without warning he took off. While the broom wasn't as fast as it would be had there only been one of them, it was much faster than she felt comfortable riding, and she shut her eyes tight, her knuckles white from hanging on to the handle. She felt Severus guiding them higher, felt the sun shining on her face, and felt Severus' chin resting on her shoulder. Suddenly they stopped and started to hover. His hands left the handle and slid up her legs, one coming to rest on her waist, the other lifting her chin.

"Don't look down," he ordered.

"Not a problem," she replied, keeping them tightly shut.

"Open your eyes," he sighed in exasperation.

She suppressed a shudder, but opened her eyes. She let off a soft gasp as she saw the Forbidden Forest, the lake and the mountains stretching in front of her. The last time she had been up this high had been on the thestral, and that was at night and she was more concerned about staying on the invisible horse than enjoying the view. She chanced a quick glance downwards, they were at least twice as high as the castle. Looking to her left she saw Hogsmeade. Far below students streaked in all different directions riding broomsticks while others sat on the lawn to study or watch a pickup game of Quidditch.

"What are you thinking?" he asked quietly.

"That part of me wants to encourage you to start flying, and we won't stop until we're safe," she replied honestly.

"Do you think we'd be able to stop?"

"No," she shook her head. "But it's fun to escape reality and speak in hypothetical sometimes."

She heard Jennae calling her name below them.

"Reality calls," Severus mutters, starting to head towards the ground.

She didn't close her eyes and he went into a gentle dive. She wanted to remember every part of their moment, knowing it would help her get through the difficult time that lay ahead. The sun was already starting to sink on her eighth day. She would need every moment of the next week to leave her impression on Severus, but part of her was afraid she was going to fail, and she'd only have memoies like their flight above Hogwarts to remind her of her time with Severus.


	18. The Calm Before the Storm

**A/N: This chapter goes a bit quickly, but I think it's about time to send Hermione back. I didn't want to drag things out too much. I have written the next few chapters a while back, but they need some polishing before publishing. Hopefully it won't be too long a wait. Thanks for sticking with me!**

"Are you sure about that?" she asked, staring into the simmering cauldron and looking nervous. She and Severus had been working for two hours on the Ashwinder antivenin, and it was at a particularly difficult stage that required cooling the cauldron and the antivenin, as ashwinder venom needed heat to work. Severus was arguing for a quick-cooling charm, despite the book from the library saying it must be carefully cooled over half an hour.

"Yes, I'm sure it'll work better than cooling it slowly."

"But how good are you at antivenins? You said you never really studied them much before."

"I said I never really _brewed_ them before, not studied them. I didn't want to brew them. Most every venom in our world has had an antivenin already made, and the process has very little room for exploration."

"Then why the bloody hell are you trying to explore? Why can't we just follow the book?"

"Because that's boring."

"Boring isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"There's a ninety percent chance this will help, and make the whole batch more potent."

"And what's the ten percent chance?"

"The whole lot blows up."

"Why the hell am I doing this again?"

"Fine. I'll do it. But if you don't want it to get on you, you'll have to leave, because if it blows up it's going to cover this whole area."

She moved aside, but stayed close enough she could watch. Severus poked the cauldron first, and it frosted over. He then quickly cast the charm on the antivenin, which had started bubbling furiously as it fought the sudden cold. It bubbled for about five seconds, then went calm.

"Occam's Razor, Hermione," he smiled. "The antivenin for this has to be cooled slowly because of the finicky nature of the venom, but most potion makers don't like using magic, so they're bound by flames and ice to cool it down. Magic makes it so much simpler, but it has to be used quickly."

"Do we still have to wait the half hour?"

"Wouldn't hurt," he murmured, stepping towards her, and running his fingers over her jumper.

She smirked. Since their first time together Severus was not shy about asking for more, and they had delayed working on the antivenin another two days in favor of spending private time together. But her time was getting short, and she wanted to make sure they got the antivenin done, and had showed up that day wearing her frumpiest jumper and slacks, but it didn't seem to be slowing Severus much. "Why do I think you don't have a game of Wizard's Chess in mind?"

"Because you're too observational to think that," he murmured, kissing her neck.

She sighed and leaned into him, wrapping her hands into his shirt and holding him to her. She thought of putting up a playful protest, but he knew she had no fight in her, and even if she did put up a fight he remembered exactly how to touch her to make her change her mind.

"Shall I conjure up the bed?" she groaned as he sucked and nipped at a particularly sensitive spot below her ear.

"Not this time," he breathed, and a shiver of excitement passed down her spine. She let him walk her backwards until she was pressed into the table, then she slid onto the table and started working at the buttons of his shirt. He pulled her jumper off as his shirt slid to the floor, and he smiled as he realized she hadn't worn a bra underneath.

"You're making it easy for me today?" he smiled.

"After you covered my last one in frog spawn..."

"An unfortunate accident, I assure you."

"Bollocks, Severus. You said you'd clean it for me, and I haven't seen it since."

"Can you blame me for wanting a souvenir?"

"I would have thought you'd prefer the memories," she whispered against his jaw as she trailed kisses along it, unfastening his pants as she did.

"I much prefer the memories," he smiled, hands coming up to cup her breasts. She purred her approval as his fingers started rolling her peaks. One time, during fifth year, Lavender and Pavarti had mused aloud if a Potion Master, with their known attention to details and superb fine-motor skills would make for a good lover, and lamented the only one they knew was Professor Snape. If only they knew.

Vaguely she was aware that he was pushing her backwards until her back met the rough, cool wood of the table. He slowly kissed down her body, paying extra attention to her breasts, and he slipped the pants from her. She moaned in protest as she felt him step away, but she was sure he was only pushing his shorts off, and was expecting the now-familiar feeling of his cock filling her, but was surprised when, instead of stepping up to her, he kneeled down in front of her. She opened her mouth to protest, but his tongue touching her folds rendered her mind blissfully blank. He moved cautiously, exploring which motions made her whimper in need or push her hips up, hoping for more. Quickly her body began to tighten as he brought her close to an orgasm. His hands hooked around her legs, holding them firmly open as she tried to clamp them shut, not sure she could take much more direct attention to her nub. Her back arched, her breath catching, as her body tightened before blissful release rushed over her as his name escaped her lips. She panted as she came down, and felt his body covering hers, his lips meeting her. She could taste herself on him, and though the thought had been repulsive to her before, now she threw herself into the kiss, wrapping her arms around him to anchor him to her.

"Turn around," he ordered against her lips.

She let go of him and slid to the floor, quickly spinning and gripping the edge of the table. He pressed her shoulders down so she was bent slightly, and, leaving one hand on her left shoulder, reached between them to guide him into her. Having him enter from behind was a new, intense sensation, and her head fell back as she bucked back into him, desperate for more. He kissed her shoulders as they finally found a rhythm. One of his hands came around to play with her breasts, and she arched backward to kiss him. As his movements became more frantic he pushed her gently forward, and she put her hands on the table to steady herself. Two fo his long fingers began to circle her nub, and she felt her body began to tighten again. Her fingers began to scratch against the wood and she pushed back against him, begging aloud for release. When she tightened around him they finished together, and she braced herself against the table, waiting for the world to become steady again.

"We'll have to try that again," she smiled as she turned to look at him, and he returned her smile with one of his own.

"Maybe in a little bit, love. I do believe we've managed to pass the required thirty minutes."

"We get to test it?" she asked, excited.

He nodded, and they got dressed quickly. It was only when Severus got out a small dish for testing that she realized something.

"We need blood for testing," she frowned.

"Yes," he nodded.

"We don't have blood."

"Not yet," he said, producing a knife.

"No!" she shouted, leaping forward to grab it from him, memories of him lying on the floor in a pool of blood flooding her vision. She yelped as her hand wrapped around the blade, digging deep into her palm.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he hissed, looking at her injury in horror.

"I didn't want you to hurt yourself," she whispered with a wince, then she reached for the dish, holding her palm over it, allowing blood to drop in until the bottom was covered. He was staring at the dish intently, and suddenly reached out, grabbing it from her.

"Enough," he growled, turning her hand over and healing the wound. He stared at the angry pink mark for a long moment.

"Everything alright?" she whispered.

"Don't do that again. It's just a little blood. I may get a scar from it, but that's not a big deal."

"It is to me," she looked up at him. She knew he would be bearing scars in the future, she had seen a few on his arms when he would roll them up for a demonstration, and he had one angry-looking one that ran up the back of his neck she had only seen once, though she doubted that was all he had. She was well aware of the rumors that Voldemort was as kind to his supporters as he was to his enemies.

"I don't like seeing you bleed, Hermione, and you have done a fair amount of it since you got here."

"I don't mind a few scars. Someone I know thinks they are signs of bravery."

"Or foolishness," he murmured, retrieving a bottle of Essence of Dittany and a cloth, and starting to dab it on her hand.

"You're a brave man, Severus."

"Why? Because I was willing to give up a bit of blood for the sake of testing our antivenin?"

"No. It's so much more than that."

"Are you sure you've never had head trauma?"

"Positive."

"Perhaps you've had it, and just don't remember. That would be the nature of head trauma," he smirked, putting a few drops of ashwinder venom into the blood. There was an immediate reaction, a hissing noise, and the blood began to bubble, then congeal and blacken. Severus ladled a small amount of antivenin into the dish, and the reaction stopped and the blood smoothed back into a liquid.

"That looks successful," he said, holding the dish to the light for a better look, not noticing Hermione's horrified look. The reaction had been so quick, so violent, and had caused her to wince in pain just looking at it. She knew Severus had been bitten several times, and lived for a couple minutes after the attack. How much pain had he been in, and why had he appeared so calm as death rushed for him? Her body began shaking, and she fought tears long enough to escape to the bathroom, where she collapsed on the floor, drawing her knees to herself, and wondering how, in five days, she would be able to save his life if nothing she was doing already was working.

XXXXXXXXX

That Saturday she found herself standing outside the Slytherin common room. Severus had invited her to a party they were throwing, saying it was something they did once a month or so as a way to unwind. Very few outsiders ever warranted an invitation, he told her as though she should take her invitation as a great honor. She had debated turning him down, but with her departure looming that Monday evening she only had two nights left with him, and didn't want to give up a single minute. So she borrowed a black dress and shoes, let Selena pin her hair up in a nice hairstyle, and donned a simple golden necklace of her mothers that she always carried with her. Several times during her journey to the dungeon the impulse to turn and run washed over her, but she fought the urge and made it to the secret entrance at exactly eight. Less than a minute later the door appeared, and Severus stepped out, wearing the nicer robes he had worn into Hogsmeade, his hair in a leather holder instead of the normal cloth one he had been using. All doubts left her as his eyes ran over her several times, a smile breaking across his face.

"You look enchanting," he said softly, holding a hand out to her.

"Thank you. You look good as well," she replied, taking his hand and letting him lead her through the passageway.

"Only because I'm standing next to you. Lucius wants to meet you."

"We've met," she pointed out.

"He said you would say that, and he would like me to point out that it was only in passing, and long before you became 'entangled' with one of his house, and he wants to get to know the girl who has ..." he trailed off.

"What have I done?"

"Won the heart of one of our own."

"Have I won your heart, Severus?"

He looked at her, but didn't reply.

They entered the common room to a few sideways glances, and Hermione saw students whisper to each other as they placed her. The girls were all dressed to impress, wearing tight, revealing clothes and elegant jewelry. The men were wearing their finest as well, sipping a variety of drinks from crystal goblets and telling stories that involved as many famous names as possible. The closer she got to the fireplace the more important the people seemed to get- first years were mostly regulated to the far points of the room, the Death Eater elite occupying the couches around the fire. Most prominent was Lucius, who had staked his claim to the whole of one couch, Narcissa wrapped around him wearing a gown of Slytherin green.

"Miss Puckle," he turned the Malfoy charm as she approached, standing and kissing each of her cheeks, and Narcissa jumped up to do the same. "You clean up well, I see."

"Thank you," she replied, forcing the sarcasm from the reply. "You look beautiful, Narcissa."

"Thank you," she smiled. "It's just a little old thing, my new one didn't make it here in time."

Hermione eyed the impeccable dress and wondered if she had worn it more than once.

"I know a little about you, so let me enlighten our friends," he motioned around the group which included Bellatrix, her future husband Rodolphus, and Regulus Black, the youngest one that close to the fireplace, along with a few she didn't recognize, though their clothes all betrayed the money their families had. She and Severus stood by the fireplace, Severus placing an arm around her and looked around as though he were daring any of the men looking at her to try to make a play for her.

"Miss Puckle," Lucius said with a tip of his head and a smile, "Comes to us from Beauxbatons. Her mother is one of the Delacours..."

A murmur of approval passed around the group.

"She is quite skilled with magic, if you haven't heard the stories flying around. She bested Severus in Defense, if my source is correct."

"We don't know who would have won if Professor Daube hadn't stopped us short," she interjected.

"Don't sell yourself short, Miss Puckle. Few of us would want to take Severus on. He is quite quick and skilled when it comes to fighting."

"Comes from all those times he tangled with my idiot brother," Regulus smirked. "Dear Sirius is quite upset he's lost her to Severus."

"That's obvious," she shook her head.

"Well, besides knowing that you have an ambition to become a curse-breaker, the skills to pursue that route, and the brains to choose a Slytherin over a fool hearty Gryffindor I really don't know much about you, my dear," Lucius inclined his head towards her, giving her the chance to speak, but Bellatrix started talking before Hermione could.

"Mother married a Muggle, did she?"

"Yes, she did," Hermione nodded.

"I wasn't aware Beauxbatons had a deficiency of respectable wizards."

"She met him while she was living in London."

"Plenty of men in Diagon Alley."

"Pardon me for not being born and helping her choose her who she fell for," she snapped.

"Bellatrix, dear," Lucius cut in. "Play nice, would you?"

"Sorry," Bellatrix shot her a smile that said she clearly wasn't apologizing.

"Tell us, Hermione, what is it that you like to do on your own time?"

"Read, mostly. I love reading about magic as much as I can, not just how to cast spells, but the theory as to how they work, the way each spell was developed, and the history of it's use. And, of course, it hasn't hurt to be able to recall random facts at times."

"A thirst for knowledge. It's no wonder Severus chose you."

She felt her face fall at the implication that the relationship was purely for Severus, but she forced it back into a smile as she clutched Severus' arm and replied, "I am quite lucky to have him."

Severus straightened up a little higher.

The night went on with introductions, and some dull talk about different gossip stories in the news. A few times a camera would flash nearby. Hermione had a few drinks, chatted a little, and started to wonder what the protocol was for leaving so she could get some time alone with Severus when Lucius turned back to her.

"Your family, Hermione. How do they feel about your mother's marriage?"

She felt her stomach drop. She hoped blood purity wouldn't come up, but didn't expect otherwise knowing she was in the snake's den. She decided to try to keep as non-committal as possible, and hopefully the subject would die before she got worked up. "It depends on who you ask," she replied coldly.

"How do you feel about it?"

"I love my Mum and Dad very much," she replied sharply.

"Of course you do. But would you ever consider doing something similar?"

"I'll marry whomever I fall in love with, thank you very much."

"Even if they were a Muggle?" Bellatrix sneered.

"I am not particular. There are many Muggles who have done the world a great deal of good. Just because they aren't born without magic does not mean they aren't talented in other ways. Some of the best authors are Muggles, they produce some beautiful music..."

"Wizards can do the same," she said dismissively.

"And yet they haven't. There has yet to be a wizard playwright with the talent of Shakespeare or one who could put on a large-production musical. We do not have large groups of talented musicians who play together without magic, like Muggle orchestras do. Our medical community..."

"You will outlive them by decades because of your magic," she snapped, standing to face her, and Hermione trembled as she remembered being that close to an upset Bellatrix before. "You can do with one wave of your wand what it takes them hours to do. Their minds are weak, and their bodies are worse."

"They are not as different as you claim. They are humans, too, not some kind of animal, you daft cow..."

"Hermione," Severus grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"It is blood-traitors like you who are soiling the purity of our world. You are diluting the magic out of our blood, and would have us all living like Muggle filth within just a few generations."

"Muggle blood is not dirty. Muggle-born witches and wizards can be just as intelligent and skilled as you. Perhaps even more so," she challenged, drawing herself up to full height. Bellatrix's hand twitched towards her wand, and Severus suddenly put himself between the two girls, grabbing Hermione's wrist to prevent her from going for her own wand.

"Stop, Hermione."

"Get her under control, Severus," Lucius hissed.

"I am not a bloody dog!" Hermione shouted. "I do not need, nor want, a fucking owner."

She twisted her arm, breaking free of him, and rushed through the crowd to the passage to leave. She had just gone through the wall when Severus caught up with her.

"Hermione..." he started, grabbing her wrist.

"Don't," she hissed, breaking free, but turning to look at him.

"You knew what they were like."

"That doesn't mean I have to listen to it, and it certainly doesn't mean I have to stand by as my family and I are insulted."

"My dorm mates..."

"Are all going to follow Voldemort," she spat. "And you're going to be dragged down with them."

"That's not necessarily true."

"Yes it is. I'm going to have to leave, and when I do, all you're going to have is them. And at some point you'll realize it's safer to join them than wait for me to finally get back. There's nothing I can do to stop it."

He was standing stick-straight, jaw set. "I'm glad you've made up my mind for me. It saves me the trouble."

"I know you, Severus! I know this is going to happen. What can I do to prevent it?"

"I wouldn't join knowing you love me," he said quietly. "I don't want to hurt you."

She felt tears sliding down her face. He was going to join the Death Eaters, she knew that. Which means at some point he stopped believing she loved him. That she hurt him.

"I do love you," she whispered.

"I shouldn't have invited you. I should have just met you in our room and stayed all night with you. I thought, maybe, they'd be civil about you, but I forgot what a spitfire you can be. Of course you're never let an insult slide, and you shouldn't have had to."

She stepped up to him, and kissed him gently before grabbing his hand to lead him towards their private room.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next day, the day before she left, as she was walking up to Ravenclaw tower after spending the night with Severus she looked down a corridor and saw Dumbledore standing there, looking out a window that overlooked the greenhouses. She walked up to him, and saw fat snowflakes dancing slowly towards the ground.

"It's going to be a big storm. I expect things to get worse before they get better," he observed, glancing at the growing clouds.

"I have to go back, don't I? There's nothing you can do to stop it?" she asked softly.

"I do not know what got you here, so I wouldn't know how to stop you from going back," he replied, sympathy in his voice. "Do you not want to go back?"

"Of course I don't. I condemn a man to death when I go back."

"Are you so sure?"

"Yes. I haven't done what I came back here to do."

"At the risk of sounding like a broken record, are you so sure?" he asked, and, without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked away. "Sometimes the brightest times come after the storm, but you must allow the storm to come first," he mused loudly, before turning a corner and disappearing.

Feeling overwhelmed Hermione sat on the ground and cried.


	19. Departure

**A/N: My, my, aren't we the impatient bunch. If that last one was bad, this one will be torture, I think. I have the next chapters written, it's just a matter of making them nice, so hopefully the wait won't be more than a couple days.**

She woke up the next morning with a pit in her stomach, and the weight of everything coming down on her. She fumbled three times, trying to open her trunk,. and when she tried to use a spell she missed, leaving a black scorch mark across the stone floor.

"Are you alright?" Jennae asked, walking into the room, her bath robe drawn around her, her hair dripping wet.

"Yes. No. I feel odd today," she replied, taking a few deep breaths to calm down, then forcing herself to open the trunk.

"Odd in what way?"

"Just an ominous feeling."

She wrung her hands. "Do you think it's your grandfather?"

Hermione looked up, desperate to tell someone. But how would she explain to anyone that she wasn't sure she was going to survive her next twenty-four hours? That she was going to have to force herself to go through the day, but before dinner was done being served, she'd be back in the demolished version of Hogwarts she had left behind, and the battle that was far from over. She'd have to figure out a way to save Severus' life, since her memories were still of him dying on the floor of the Shrieking Shack, her best friend was a Horcrux about to go to his death, and she'd be seeing several good people alive for the last time throughout the day. But she had gone thirty-one days without confessing everything, so she just nodded lamely. Jennae made a move to give her a hug, so Hermione ran to the bathroom. A pale version of herself in the mirror greeted her with wide, terrified eyes. She splashed cold water on her face, hoping to bring some color back, but it was no use. When she returned to the room, Jennae had left. Hermione carefully placed the clothes she would have to wear back into the battle into her backpack, as well as her bag which contained the box she arrived with. She ran her fingers over the bed, wanting to crawl back under the blankets, back to safety. It took a lot of willpower to turn and leave the dorm for the last time.

Jennae was whispering to Danielle and Selena as she reached the bottom of the stairs. They stopped talking as they caught sight of her, and Danielle and Selena flashed her identical worried smiled.

"Should we go to breakfast?" Hermione asked, trying to keep her voice as even as possible.

Danielle opened her mouth to say something, but Selena cut in over her, loudly announcing that breakfast sounded like a great idea. Hermione walked towards the Great Hall flanked by her friends, but she stared at the stone floor and willed herself to not look too terrified at what was to come. She felt her heart drop as they rounded the corner that lead to the Great Hall to find Dumbledore standing outside the entrance.

"Miss Puckle, may I have a word?" he asked.

Jennae grabbed her arm, but Hermione waved her away. "I'll be fine," she whispered. "Go ahead."

The three girls exchanged looks, and watched Hermione until they entered the Great Hall. Hermione stepped into a secluded corner with Dumbledore, who held out a piece of paper to her.

"This is day thirty-one, is it not?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," she replied in a murmur.

"You entered this school sometime around six-thirty. I would think that you would be departing at the same time. It would be best if you were to leave from the same place you came, away from any chance of prying eyes. I shall be occupied outside my office from six until seven. I suggest you get there a few minutes in advance to be safe. That paper would be your way of access. I ask you do not leave it lying around."

"Yes, sir," she nodded.

"I wish you the best of luck, Miss Puckle," he placed a hand on her arm for a moment, then walked off. She watched until he disappeared up the stairs before turning to enter the Great Hall. She didn't try to hide her emotions, knowing they would help create her final cover. She looked up to find her friends, and was surprised to see Severus standing next to them, looking concerned. When he saw her, he started running to her. As she saw the look of concern for her etched across his face, she felt a sudden wave of guilt and her eyes welled with tears. She let him envelop her in comforting arms, and let the tears flow onto his cloak.

"They told me what was going on," he whispered into her hair. "If you need anything..."

"This is what I need," she whispered, clinging even tighter to him. It took her a few minutes until she finally felt as though she could loosen her grip enough to go to their table. They walked past the Gryffindors, and for once, none of the Marauders threw an insult or a snarky comment their way. Instead, she saw sympathy in James, Sirius, and Remus' eyes, though Peter was looking away from her. When she sunk onto the bench next to Jennae, Severus didn't hesitate to sit next to her. His hand rubbed her back in support, and she kept her hand on his leg, needing to touch him as much as possible. Her stomach was tied in knots, but she knew that she would need her strength when she returned to the battle. She took a few pieces of toast and an orange, taking some small bites and washing it down with water, something else she knew she must force upon herself if she would be in fighting shape for what lay ahead. No one around her spoke, and before she knew it, Jennae, Selena, and Danielle were standing to go to Charms.

"I'll catch up," she murmured, and waited until they left the hall to stand up and let Severus wrap an arm around her and start leading her towards the Charms corridor.

"What do you need today?" he asked.

She looked up at him. "Skive off after lunch with me?" she asked.

"Anything." He kissed her forehead before squeezing her hand and walking off towards Transfiguration. Her hands began trembling as she entered Charms, and she sat on them so her fright wasn't obvious.

"Everything alright, Hermione?" Sirius asked, sitting in front of her, sounding serious. She looked up at him, tears threatening to fall yet again. It was her last chance to talk to him, or Lupin, or Harry's parents. She suddenly felt horrible that she had snapped at them during her time there.

"It'll be alright," she muttered.

He reached out and rubbed her arm. "No need to put on the brave face around us, love."

"I'm not. I really am alright."

He shot her a sympathetic smile. During the class, she tried her hardest to pay attention, but lost the battle. She spent the whole time watching the Marauders, trying to decide what she was going to do. It would be the last time she saw any of them alive again. Her eyes wandered towards Lily, who was chuckling at something her seatmate said. She really was a radiant beauty, and the Marauders had made her laugh as much as she fought the urge in front of Severus. She couldn't just let them walk off. She told Jennae, Danielle, and Selena that she'd see them at lunch and walked out with the Gryffindor boys.

"If you need anything, love, let us know," Sirius said as they walked down the hall together.

"I mean it when I say I'll be alright," she replied.

"I know. But that doesn't mean you don't need some support right now."

"I've got a lot of support here. Everyone has been really amazing."

"Even Snape?" James asked.

"Did you just call him by his real name?"

"I don't want to get hexed."

She laughed.

"Does this mean you're leaving?" Lupin asked quietly.

"Yes. Dumbledore is helping me leave tonight."

"Well, I guess Sniv... Snape will have you the rest of the day, so we should probably say goodbye now," Sirius said as his face fell.

"You almost look like you'll miss me."

"Of course I'll miss you, beautiful woman, I can't believe I lost to that ruddy Slytherin git."

"Sirius..." she groaned.

"I wouldn't mind a good-bye hex."

She smiled, then threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Take care of yourself, Black," she whispered as he held her just as tightly, not letting go.

"We stay like this long enough, Snivellous might see, and I may still get you yet," he smirked, kissing her cheek.

She laughed and pushed him away, turning to James, who gave her a friendly hug. "Goodbye, Puckle. We'll always have the Three Broomsticks," he beamed, and she marveled at how much he resembled his son.

"Goodbye, James," she said, ruffling his hair fondly.

Wormtail stepped forward, and she forced a hand forward. He looked disappointed as he gave it a quick shake. Without saying anything, she turned to Lupin, the one she looked up to the most in her time, and she had to take a deep breath to calm her nerves before she wrapped her arms around him. "Don't let anyone get to you, Remus. I know it's tough for you, but I know the truth. You're wonderful and deserve happiness," she muttered, low enough for only him to hear.

His arms tightened for a moment and she felt his lips brush her forehead lightly.

"See you around, then?" she said softly.

"Until later, then," James smiled, and she hurried up the stairs to Runes. A few tears fell as she went, but she swiped at them with her sleeve before rounding the corner. Severus was waiting anxiously outside the door, hurrying over as soon as he saw her.

"I'm fine," she cut him off before he said anything.

"You look upset."

"It's nothing, really," she whispered as they entered the classroom and sat at a table together. As the Professor started talking, Severus grabbed her hand, running his fingers over hers throughout the class, and by the time she left, she felt perfectly relaxed. She leaned into him as they walked to lunch. She used an article in the Daily Prophet to start a conversation, and to her delight Severus became a seamless part of their gossiping, though she suspected everyone was getting along because they knew she would be gone in a few hours and they wanted her to be happy. When the bell rang for the start of afternoon classes, Severus and Hermione made their way down to his lab for the final time. She transfigured the table back into a bed without dropping his hand.

"I don't want you to feel like we have to..." he started.

"I want to, Severus. I want you to make me forget one more time. Give me one more moment to hold onto, to get me through what's coming."

He didn't argue, just took her face in his hands, and kissed her tenderly as they moved to the bed. He carefully undressed her, kissing each part of her skin as it became exposed to him, studying the flesh laid before him, knowing it would be the last time for a while. She concentrated on the feeling of his fingers sliding over her skin, looked into his eyes whenever she could, and touched his mostly unblemished skin as much as she could. Their lips were locked to each other as he entered her, and they had no problem finding their rhythm. Several times they slowed, taking the time to explore each other one last time, neither wanting the moment to end. When they finally finished together they held each other, each one unwilling to be the one who broke their connection.

But their time eventually had to come to an end, and when dinner started, she retrieved her clothes from the backpack.

"Must you wear those?" he asked, fingering a singed hole in the jeans before getting dressed themselves.

"They're good traveling clothes," she muttered. "I don't care if they get destroyed."

She put on her undergarments and jeans, but when she went to button her blouse he did it for her, fastening each button slowly, his eyes following his fingers. He helped her into her jacket and pressed another tender kiss to her lips. As they left he wrapped an arm around her, and reached across himself to take her hand. They didn't say a word as they made their way up to the Great Hall, and he steered her towards her friends. The butterflies in her stomach sprang to life again, and she tripped over herself.

"Are you alright?" Severus asked.

She could only nod as her hands began to tremble. She sat between Severus and Jennae, accepting a plate Danielle made for her as Severus rubbed her leg and Jennae patted her arm. She forced herself to eat the stew and bread, and drink some water, though she couldn't bring herself to participate in their conversation. When the clock struck six, she tensed, knowing it was time for her to start going up to the Headmaster's office. Danielle and Selena came around to her side of the table to say good-bye.

"Have a safe trip," Selena smiled, giving her a hug.

"Take care," Danielle followed suit.

"You two, as well," Hermione nodded.

"It was nice meeting you," Danielle said as they stepped back. "Keep in touch."

"I'll try."

Jennae's hug was less formal, and they leaned against each other for a long moment without saying anything.

"Thank you so much, for everything," Hermione whispered to her.

"It was my pleasure. Please, don't be a stranger," Jennae replied.

"I'll try not to."

They broke apart, each swiping a tear from their eye.

"If you need anything, you know where to find me," Jennae smiled.

"Okay. Take care of yourself, Jennae."

"The same to you. Goodbye, Hermione."

"Goodbye."

Severus took her hand and led her out of the corridor. They started up the staircase. As they ascended, her chest started to clench and tears started to fall. Her memories were still in tactintact. She had failed. Severus was going to die on the floor of the Shrieking Shack, and she hadn't done enough to save him, or convince him to save himself. They had only made it up two floors before Severus couldn't take seeing her like that any longer, turning her to embrace her tightly in his arms.

"It's okay," he murmured into her hair.

"No, it isn't."

"Do you want to stay?"

"More than anything. But I can't," she replied with a sob.

"I'm coming of-age in January. Do you think you can wait that long before going into hiding? Then I'll go with you."

That caused her to sob louder and cling to him. "I really wish I could. I begged Dumbledore to make it different, but he can't stop anything. I have to go."

"But you said I'll see you again."

"YouI will. But it'll be a long time. And when you do see me, you'll know why I am a monster, who doesn't deserve you."

"I don't understand, Hermione."

"I can't tell you more."

"Why don't you meet me in January? We have a Hogsmeade trip at the end of the month. I'll meet you by the Shrieking Shack, and we can leave together."

She let off another sob, and his robe was getting soaked from her tears. "God, I want that."

"Then let's do it. I'll meet you, and we'll run together, just the two of us. We won't be limited in where you want to go. We can go overseas, and they'll never know where we went."

"I can't, and you can't, Severus. We both have things we need to do."

"Like what?"

She kissed him, pressing herself into his body and clinging to him, knowing it would be their last embrace for a while. "Live, Severus. You need to survive long enough for us to be together again."

"I'm not going anywhere for a long time."

"But you have to be prepared for anything. You have to live. I have no right to ask a single thing of you, but please, promise me that you'll try to survive."

"I don't..."

She felt something shift in her body, a quick wave of disorientation, and knew she was nearly out of time. "I have to leave, Severus. Promise me."

"I promise."

She kissed him again, as deeply and passionately as she could muster, until another wave passed over her, causing her knees to wobble and for her to fall away from his lips. "I love you, Severus. I will when we meet again. Remember that I love you."

And then she pushed away from him and started running.

"Hermione!" he cried, reaching for her, fingers skimming the back of her shirt. She pointed her wand behind her and cast a tripping jinx. He hadn't been expecting it, and he tripped on the stairs, sliding down several. A rush of repulsion at what she had done washed over her, but she kept going, reaching the landing to the hall that led to the entrance to Dumbledore's office. Behind her Severus had recovered, and was following her. She pushed her way through a tapestry that hid the hall, and cast a _Duro_ charm behind her, turning it to stone. It wouldn't take Severus long to reverse the spell, but the holdup would be enough for her to get away. She pulled the paper from her pocket as she made it to the gargoyle that hid the stairs.

"Jelly slugs!" she read, panting, and the gargoyle sprung out of the way. She hurdled through the entrance onto the stairs, and heard Severus call for her one last time as the gargoyle returned to it's normal spot. She collapsed onto the stairs, racked with sobs, and noticed a faint, golden light was coming from her bag. She managed to stand and stumble into the office, falling to the floor in front of Dumbledore's desk, and pulled the small box from her bag. Before she had a chance to open it the top burst open on it's own, and she fell into the swirling golden nothingness once more.


	20. Gone

**A/N: I know everyone wants to know what happens when she gets back, but you're going to have to wait for a few chapters. 22 years passed between 1976 and 1998, and I do not intend to ignore them.**

"Hermione!" he cried, hitting the gargoyle with his fist and leaving a smear of blood on the stone. He cried her name again, but it came out with a sob. She was gone. She was so desperate to get away from him, she had tripped him and held him up with her stone tapestry. How could she? She left without a proper good-bye, just a coerced promise to save his life. How could she be telling him she loved him one minute, and forcing him away from her the next? Anger flowed through him, and he aimed a hex at the gargoyle, blasting off one of its ears.

"What did I do?" it asked, shocked.

"Let me through!" he demanded. "I need to talk to her."

"She's gone," it replied coldly.

"She just went through!"

"She was already leaving before she even got to the room."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? Where is Dumbledore?"

"Right here," a voice sounded behind him, and he turned quickly to come face-to-face with the headmaster.

"Where is she?" he demanded again.

"Back where she came from," he replied.

"How? You were supposed to help her leave!"

"And so I did. Before she even got here, she had been given the means to return."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that Miss Puckle is no longer in this castle, and no longer available to those of us who she left behind."

"Where is she now?" he asked through clenched teeth. "I want to talk to her."

"I am afraid that would be impossible, Mr. Snape."

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded in a shout. "What the hell are the two of you hiding?"

"I do not know what Miss Puckle told you, however I'm sure she told you more than I know and as much as she was willing or able to tell you. I am also sure that, at some point today, she begged you to do something for her. Perhaps even made you swear to do something. I would hope you'd be willing to consider everything she has said and asked you to do."

"Why should I? Why should I do what she asks if she was willing to give me nothing in return?" he hissed.

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "Perhaps it will take time to realize what she has done for you by leaving today. Goodnight, Mr. Snape."

Severus glared at him as he fixed the irritated-looking gargoyle and disappeared behind it. Growling, he turned and stormed down the hallway. He turned the corner to go to the staircase, and ran into someone.

"Severus," Lily whispered, tears brimming in her eyes. "I saw what happened."

"Move, Evans," he ordered, fire flashing in his eyes.

"She shouldn't have done that. She should have known how much she meant to you, and stayed."

"I can't catch a break in that aspect, then, can I?" he hissed.

She looked taken aback. Without another word she stepped aside and let him pass.

Severus stormed down to the dungeons. Anyone he passed quickly moved out of his way, afraid to provoke him. No insults towards him would fly that night, or for days after, as he finally looked as though he had been pushed over the edge. Instead of heading to the Slytherin common room, where he would no doubt find a sympathetic ear willing to verbally bash Hermione until he felt even a little bit better, he swept past the hidden door, heading instead to his private lab. It was exactly as they had left it. Even her backpack still lay on the ground, though anything personal had been removed from it. The backpack was the first thing he destroyed, twisting in a sudden flash of flames until it, and everything in it, was reduced to ash and scrap on the floor. The bed, still disheveled from their tryst earlier, was the next thing to go, breaking into shards with several swipes of his wand, every hex that passed through his mind was thrown at the poor thing, until it was an unrecognizable pile on the floor. When spells didn't seem an adequate enough outlet for his hurt and anger, he resorted to throwing whatever he could get his hands on; flasks, ingredients, and equipment smashed against the same walls as his screams echoed around the room.

When he had exhausted himself, he fell to the floor, curling into a ball. He cared for her. Hell, he was starting to love her, and she abandoned him; rebuked his every attempt to stay with her. She had turned him away. What had he done so wrong? Why had she, like so many others, turned him away? What did she gain by lying to him? By saying she loved him and breaking him? And, on top of that, the first time Lily talked to him in months was to express sympathy for something she had also done!

Anger took hold of him. Happiness was apparently not something that he was destined for. He was doomed to experience pain at every turn. There had only been one group who had been there for him. One place where his skills would be an asset; a place where he could belong.

He cleaned the mess in the room as he composed himself. By the time he left the room, he was standing tall, eyes forward, face the blank mask he had perfected over the years. He returned to the Slytherin common room and quickly spotted who he was looking for. Lucius was sitting by the fireplace, reading a book, with Narcissa and Bellatrix playing a game of chess next to him. He took a deep breath before taking a seat across from Lucius.

"I heard Puckle left," Bellatrix said with a sneer.

"She had to go," he replied without a hint of emotion in his voice.

"Filthy blood-traitor. You're better off without her."

He didn't reply, just looked at Lucius.

"Is there something I can help you with, Severus?" Malfoy asked in a low voice.

"Yes. I want to know what it would take for me to become a Death Eater," he replied, just loud enough for the small group to hear.

Bellatrix cackled, and Narcissa shot him a warm smile. But his eyes were on Lucius as his friend's mouth twisted into a wicked smile.

Lucius nodded. "Walk with me," he said, standing and moving gracefully to the portrait door.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Lucius asked as they got off the train that had taken them away from Hogwarts for the winter holidays. It was the first time Severus had left Hogwarts for a holiday since he had arrived, but he had no plans of returning to Spinners' End. Instead, he was sending his luggage with Lucius, save for a single, small bag containing a change of clothes, some money, and a few other basic toiletries. He was already wearing some Muggle clothes, and had booked a night at the Leaky Cauldron.

"I do. It shouldn't take me longer than a day or two."

"Okay. When you're done, just take the Knight Bus to the Manor. I'll let Father know you're coming. He'll be pleased to hear of your decision. He's heard of your skills, and he's in touch with the Dark Lord about you and a number of others in Hogwarts, who are sympathetic to the cause."

"I'll see you there," he nodded.

Upon leaving Kings Cross, he made his way to the inn, and checked into his room, and over dinner, made his plan for the next day. After breakfast, he wandered to the nearest library, and made his way to the information desk.

"Can I help you, young man?" the plump, pleasant-looking woman behind the desk smiled at him.

"I'm looking for an obituary. The man I'm looking for died on either the sixth or seventh of November."

"Do you know his name?"

"Puckle."

She helped him pull the correct newspapers, but even looking a week and a half later there was no mention of a Puckle who died in that time frame or a week before or after, nor anyone with a family member with the listed last name of Puckle, or a mention of a granddaughter named Hermione.

"I'm sorry, dear," the librarian sighed as they put the papers away. "Is there anything else I could help you with?"

"Yes. Could I get a phone book, please?"

"Of course, dear," she smiled, retrieving the book. He took it to a private table, and wrote down the listings of all the Puckles in London, four in all. He thanked the librarian one more time, and started out for the first address. It took most of the day to visit the first two addresses on his list, and both of them were almost immediately crossed off as he looked at the occupants. The third address was in a nice neighborhood, quiet, nothing like where most witches and wizards chose to live. He nearly didn't make the four-block journey from the nearest tube station, but he hadn't gone this far not to be thorough. When he arrived at the address, it was obvious there was something going on, several cars were parked in front, and he could hear music and laughter. Slowly, he approached the front door, trying to peek into the windows, but they were all obscured with lace curtains and holiday decorations. Hoping no one would hear him, he rapped softly on the door. A moment later it opened, and he sucked in a breath. The woman standing in front of him was a few years older, but she had Hermione's face, soft lips, and curly hair. She smiled warmly, and the similarities between her and Hermione hit him in the gut.

"Hullo. Can I help you?" she asked.

"I'm looking for Hermione," he said softly.

The woman's face fell into confusion. "Hermione?" she repeated.

"Yes."

"That's a pretty name, but there's no one here named Hermione."

"Do you know her?"

"No, I don't. I'm sorry, Mister..."

"Snape. Severus Snape."

"I'm Jean Granger. I'm sorry, Mr. Snape. I don't know anyone by that name. Harold? Anita?" she called into the house. The voices quieted.

"Yes?" asked a man as he and a woman appeared around the corner. Severus stared at the man this time; he shared his eyes and nose with Hermione.

"This young man is looking for someone named Hermione. Do you know anyone by that name?"

"No," they replied in unison.

"I'll ask around," the woman said, disappearing around the corner.

"This is Mister Snape," Jean said. "Did someone tell you there was a Hermione here?"

"Not here, exactly, just that there was a Hermione Puckle, and they gave me a message for her," Snape replied.

"No luck," the other woman announced, coming back into the room.

"Thank you for your time," he grumbled, turning to leave.

"Good luck, Mister Snape," Jean called after him, closing the door.

Severus crumpled his list of addresses and shoved it as far into his pocket as he could. He was sure he had just met Hermione's relatives, but Hermione had done a thorough job covering her tracks. Someone had wiped their memories of her, maybe it was her mother, maybe she did it herself, but he was sure that no one in that house knew anything about the magical world. When Hermione said she was going to disappear, she wasn't lying. She didn't want to be found, and it was hopeless for him to even try. Frustrated, he threw out his wand arm, and watched as the violently purple bus came to collect him for his trip to Malfoy Manor.

XXXXXXXXXX

He slammed the door to his room with such force that the house shook, then barricaded it against rebuttal from his father with several charms, including one he was sure his mother didn't know in case Tobias forced her to try to get to her son. There was a new welt across his cheek, but that was nothing compared to the bruises and lacerations he had left on his father during their fist-fight. He had made it most of the summer without getting Tobias too angry, despite his father's goading. He was of-age now in the wizarding world, and Tobias wanted him to leave. But he had nowhere to go, and his mother insisted he stay until he returned to Hogwarts, with Severus' happy promise it would be the last time he returned to the home. But Tobias wasn't as dumb as he seemed, and knew if Severus used his wand against him, he would have reason to kick him out, and Eileen would be too afraid to stop him. And so Tobias tried to goad Severus into a fight all summer, trying to see what pushed him over the edge, and caused him to finally snap. It was the phrase: "If the little shit ever got some whore to shag him, maybe he wouldn't be such a stuck-up arse," that finally got him, but Severus didn't use his wand. He leapt across the table and hit his father with a right hook.

He cast another charm to silence the pounding on the door and demands for him to show himself. He'd wait until later, when Tobias was too drunk to put up a decent fight, to dare venture out again. One more week and he'd be on the train back to Hogwarts. He'd have to find somewhere to live once he graduated, but he wasn't too concerned with that. Right now his only concern was surviving the final week. Just seven more days...

As his heart stopped hammering and he started to calm down, he groaned. Why had he been so riled up about that phrase? The insult to himself wasn't a problem, Tobias had called him ten times worse over the course of the years without riling him to the point of a fight, but it was the 'whore' bit that had gotten under his skin. Little did his father know that he had been shagged, several times, had nearly given his heart to the girl he had been with, only to get it torn out. So why did he care if his father disparaged Hermione? She had fucked him then left without a second thought as to anyone's feelings but her own. Isn't that what a whore does? Though, a small voice reminded him, he had been her first. And Merlin knew Black was an easier, and better looking, target if all she had been looking for was a shagging partner. And she had told him she loved him...

"No," he growled out loud, shaking his head. She left him. She hurt him. She knew what she was doing. And she did it anyways. Hermione was no longer worthy of his emotions or his energy, and he vowed to think of her as little as possible.

Voices floated up through his open window from the street outside the house. Another groan escaped him as he recognized Lily as one of the speakers.

"He seems... nice, Tuney," she said unconvincingly.

"He's better than that Potter boy you brought around," Petunia snapped.

"Vernon and James are quite different. You have your cup of tea, I have mine."

"He's not good for you, Lily."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because... he's reckless. And arrogant..."

"He's also kind, caring, and very devoted to me. James is just what I wanted."

Severus watched them from the window, stomach sinking farther.

"I guess it could be worse. At least _he's_ not panting after you anymore," Petunia jabbed a bony finger at Severus' house.

Lily paused, looking over the house, though she seemed to be avoiding his window deliberately. "Severus wasn't so bad. He just needs the right woman and some sympathy."

"He needs a bloody leash."

"Tuney!" she sighed, but there was a smile on her face.

"Just don't go making a rash decision and getting yourself in too deep."

"When you're in a position like we are, sometimes a rash decision is just what someone needs."

Petunia caught her sister looking at Severus' house.

"Please don't tell me you still talk to him."

"No," she said emphatically.

"Good. That's for the best."

"Yes, it is," Lily said, turning and walking away. Severus watched them as they disappeared down the next street. Lily didn't tell Petunia why they weren't speaking. She even defended him in a way. He had lost her, but perhaps she wasn't as mad at him as she had let on. And the very thought brought the first genuine smile he had on his face for months.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Recruitment," the Dark Lord hissed, tapping his fingers together and looking irritated. "I am delighted to hear that we now have Barty Crouch's son among our ranks." He nodded to the excited looking young man down the table, two seats away from Severus. "How are our other efforts going?"

"I'd like to report that Igor Karkaroff is quickly warming up to our cause," Abraxas Malfoy sneered. "If we get him, we'll have easy access to Durmstrang, though we'll have to tread quietly. They're still wary after Grindelwald."

"It is a step in the right direction. We need old families. Sympathetic families. Any ideas?"

"What about the Delacours in France?" Severus asked.

Abraxas laughed. "The Delacours have been interbreeding with Veela. They're hostile, quick-tempered, and sympathetic to the other blood-traitors and half-breeds."

"Someone told me they would be sympathetic."

"Someone would be lying to you, then."

Snape crossed his arms and scowled at the table. He knew what he heard from Hermione. The point of her running was because she feared her pure-blood-and-proud family, thought they'd be willing to kill the family member that had disgraced them by running off with a Muggle and produced a half-Blood child. Had she told him a single truth during her time at Hogwarts? What was her purpose? What did she gain by telling him so many lies, and how did she use him? And how had she disappeared off the face of the planet, not to be seen nor heard of for over two years?

"Do not fret, Severus. You will soon be able to prove your worth," Voldemort smiled.

"Anything, my Lord," Severus nodded, looking up at him.

"You are still good at Potions, correct?"

"Better than Slughorn himself, from what I've heard," Lucius chimed in.

"I have a job offer you may be interested in." The smile on Voldemort's face was wicked. "How do you feel about teaching?"


	21. The Monster

**A/N: I'm having a bad day, so I'm going to make myself feel better and post this a day before I intended.**

**I've skipped ahead to Hermione's Hogwarts years. Consider the parts I've chosen not to cover to be canon.**

_1 September, 1991_

His eyes scanned the line of first-years as they nervously entered the Great Hall on their way to the front to be sorted. There were quite a few he recognized. The Malfoy boy led the pack; the spitting image of his father, and flanked by the Crabbe and Goyle boys. They looked as dull and troll-like as their parents. The Longbottom boy was tripping over his cloak. Another mop of bright red hair let him know there was yet another Weasley coming through, as though he hadn't had enough of them for one lifetime. He scowled as Harry Potter entered. He had known this was the year, he would have to have lived in a cave not to hear about the boy's return to the Wizarding world. And yet he wasn't prepared to see Lily's eyes again. So he let his eyes slide over the boy and to the girl walking in behind him, and here his stomach dropped as he saw another very familiar pair of eyes. Everything about the girl screamed Hermione, she had Puckle's hair, eyes, face, lips...

Anger surged in him, and his head whipped around to look at the Headmaster, just to find Dumbledore staring at him as though he was gauging his reaction. He knew. There was no doubt in his mind that the girl was Puckle's daughter. As close as they resembled each other, it was hard to see anyone else. These students were born around three years after he had last seen her. It hadn't taken her long to find someone else, and to bear his child. And instead of sending that child to her own school, as was customary, she sent the girl to Hogwarts. Every parent was sent a list of Professors, so they knew who to contact with questions. His name would have been prominent on that letter. As the Head of Slytherin House, he would have earned billing just under the Deputy Headmistress with Sprout and Flitwick. Did Puckle look at the list? Did she see his name on it? She must have, the girl had a bad habit of reading anything under her nose at least twice. She saw he was teaching, and she sent her daughter anyway. Perhaps she thought Severus would be kind to her daughter, and if that was the case, she didn't know him very well. Perhaps she just didn't care, or, perish the thought, had even forgotten about him. Most likely whoever she was with, didn't know about her fling with the known Death-Eater, and she couldn't show a reaction to his name other than to mutter she couldn't believe they'd employ his ilk. But who the hell was the father? She didn't look like anyone else, so he wouldn't be able to hazard a guess.

The girl came to stop just behind Potter, and the sight was pure torture. It was as though Dumbledore was orchestrating this, punishing him for every misdeed he had ever committed in the past by bringing up two of the most painful memories he had. Dumbledore could be crueler than the Dark Lord at times, though very few ever saw the dark side of the old man.

_Not Slytherin,_ his mind chanted as McGonagall started calling names. _Not Slytherin. Anywhere but Slytherin._

"Hermione Granger?" Minerva called, and his heart stopped. The room darkened, what little color he had drained from his face, his mind became numb, and his body started trembling as he could feel every hair he had stand on end. When his heart started again its beating was the only sound he could hear, pounding in his hears harder than any drum. Vaguely he could feel the small rivers of blood start flowing where the fingernails of one hand had cut into the skin of the other with the force of his clenched fists. He could only hope there was a horrible coincidence. That Hermione Granger wasn't...

His hopes were immediately dashed as she bounded forward, and everything fell into place. From her nervous smile to the way she bit her lip... There was no doubt in his mind that Hermione Puckle had never existed. She had lied about her last name, though probably kept the first to not confuse herself. But how the fuck...?

He turned back towards Dumbledore, who was studying him again, and his stomach lurched and threatened to empty its contents onto the plate in front of him. The Headmaster's expression betrayed it all. Severus' reaction didn't surprise him. Dumbledore was not known for getting his facts wrong. He may have only seen Puckle for the same month Severus did, but he knew just as Severus himself knew, that the girl in front of them was the same girl who had appeared at Hogwarts in 1976, but just a few years younger.

He turned away as Puckle, er, Granger, trotted happily off to Gryffindor, and Severus let off a soft groan. He had expected Ravenclaw, because that's where Puckle stayed, and Hogwarts students were always fiercely loyal to their house. Going to another house, even a friendly one, would be considered base treason. But Puckle was intelligent. She must have known his hatred of his rival house, and avoided it. But why was she even back there? What the fuck was going to happen in the next seven years that would make her go back to torture him?

As their time together played through his mind, he realized the answer was obvious. At some point in the next seven years he was going to die, or come damn close to it. Probably close to seven. And Hermione had all but spelled out how it was going to happen. Some venomous creature he was going to come into contact with. She was sure he was going to have enough contact with this creature before it attacked him that he would be able to make himself an antivenin. That had to be why she pushed him so hard to work with them during their time there. But why the hell would she have slept with him? Why would she insist she loved him? Why not just warn him? He might be stubborn, but he was not an idiot. She didn't need to hurt him to cement the message in his brain.

He found himself staring at her, sitting next to Potter, not noticing his gaze. It was only the shock of everything that was keeping him in his chair, he wanted nothing more than to run, to leave the damn castle and not return. How in the hell did Dumbledore expect him to teach the girl? It was bad enough the Headmaster was insisting he stay even though he knew Potter was arriving and all the torture that the boys arrival would bring. There was no way he'd be able to stay with the girl there as well.

The moment dinner was over and the students were filing out, Dumbledore left. Severus had no intention of letting the matter rest for even a single night. He was held up by Minerva, who handed him a list of the students who were joining his house, and by the time he got to the corridor, Dumbledore was gone. Growling, he hurried through some secret passages, coming to the Headmaster's office just as Dumbledore was saying the password.

"Albus!" he barked.

"I am not surprised to see you here, Severus, but can you wait to unleash your anger until we are upstairs and in private?"

Severus followed him up the stone steps and into the office, but he barely waited for the door to close before rounding on the Headmaster.

"I demand to be relieved of my post effective immediately," he snarled.

"Denied, Severus. You cannot ask me to replace my Potions Master and Head of Slytherin before classes start tomorrow," Dumbledore replied.

"Then I demand you start looking for a replacement, so I can leave as soon as possible."

"Why the rush, Severus?"

"Like you don't know, old man."

"You've known for years the Potter boy was coming. I thought you were preparing for the day it came."

"Potter I was prepared for. You didn't warn me about Puckle."

"There's no Puckle on the roll."

"Granger!" he shouted. "The girl's name is Granger. I'm shocked her name is really Hermione, it's such a stupid mistake to make when you're trying to conceal who you are..."

"Why do you think she wanted to conceal something from you?"

"She knew. This is what she was talking about whenever she talked about leaving, when she said she'd return and I would realize what a monster she was. I realize now, and I think she is."

"Do you?"

"She knew this was coming! She didn't even have the decency to warn me?"

"What would she tell you? Would you have believed the truth?"

Severus glared at him.

"I don't know what the girl said. We agreed early on that we would communicate as little as possible. But I'm sure that's not all she said about her return."

"You did this," Severus accused softly. "You gave her whatever it was that sent her back. Whatever you used to do it, destroy it. I don't want her to go through with it."

"She already has," he said softly.

"Only because you gave her the means to, and you haven't done that yet, so I'm telling you to destroy whatever means you gave her. I don't want to remember her as anything but a student," he growled the warning and swept from the room, vowing to never give Hermione Granger a reason to want to go back and spend a blasted moment with him.

XXXXXXX

_September, 1991_

He sunk into his chair after the first full week of classes and pressed his palm into his temple, attempting to alleviate the pain. By now he was used to being hated by his students, but Granger was much more eager to please than Puckle ever was. She seemed genuinely upset that he didn't like her, but he was determined not to give in to the pleading eyes that had captivated him so many years ago. Luckily, it seemed like she and Potter were not fond of each other, and they sat far enough away that he didn't have to deal with both sets of eyes looking up at him. Potter, for his part, was not only the physical image of his father, but the personality double of him as well. It was a lot easier to separate Potter from Lily when there was so much of James he had to deal with.

Granger, on the other hand... There was nothing to separate Granger from Puckle, but a few years and some womanly curves, and both those would be coming along. Since Granger started, he had been plagued with dreams of Puckle, and they were certainly not the benign, friendship type. More than once he woke up feeling sick to his stomach after having a dream of Puckle in his private room, knowing that he would have to face the eleven year old version of her in a few hours. The whole thing was fucking with his head, and he wondered how Hermione had managed to separate the young him from her Professor. How in the hell was he supposed to walk into the room with her when she was starting to get interested in men and not wonder if she wasn't harboring some sort of school-girl crush on him? It was awkward enough seeing her this young and feeling some sort of responsibility towards her. She must have hit her bloody head a dozen times to even think going back was a good idea.

Sighing, he pulled the stack of first-years papers towards him. Abysmal, as always. First years didn't know what to expect, they didn't know the ingredients, and they were well known for plagiarizing their textbooks for their answers. Unsurprisingly, the Weasley boy was a prime example of this. There were three different suggestions in Longbottom's paper that would seriously injure if not kill someone. The Malfoy boy put little effort, probably thinking Severus would go easy on him. There were two papers he was saving for the end, but too quickly he had to face them.

Potter's was first. Parts of his handwriting resembled Lily's, but if he focused on the answers, he was able to get around it only having to grit his teeth a couple of times. It was Granger's that nearly drove him to his liquor stash. Her handwriting hadn't changed much, if at all, between eleven and... he thought she was seventeen when she was there, but he realized with a stab of betrayal that he wasn't even sure that was right. He forced himself to read the paper through, each word clenching his guts a little more until he started gulping air the moment he was done, desperate for whatever was closing in around him to release. He realized that he hadn't taken a single word in, because he was so focused on making it through her assignment. Knowing he'd be unable to look at it again, he scribbled an E on the top and buried it under the rest of the assignments, knowing the next few years was going to be hell.

XXXXXXXXXX

_November, 1991_

The door to his office slammed shut with a satisfying bang. He shed his cloak and pulled the hem up to eye level, muttering obscenities under his breath. Potter had been attacked, he knew it, and he was sure he knew who was doing it, but in the moment, he had been too busy saving Potter's life and being on fire to prove anything. Luckily, he had the presence of mind to knock Quirrell over in his haste to rid himself of the flames. To him, that was proof enough. Hopefully Albus would take it the same way, though Albus still had the annoying habit of thinking the best of people.

His fingers ran over the hem of the cloak, and the singed part disintegrated and floated lazily towards the floor. A conversation he had so many years before surfaced in his mind.

_"You want personal information? How about this? I once set my professor's robes on fire, but I was too afraid to tell him I was sorry, because he was such a cantankerous prat. I was sure I'd be in detention for the rest of my life if he knew it was me."_

_ "Really?" he smiled._

_ "Every damn word."_

_ "Why would you set your professor on fire?"_

_ "I thought he was trying to hurt my friend."_

_ "And your instinct was to set him on fire?"_

_ "My instinct was to try to get him to stop hurting Ha... my friend."_

_ "But you said he was trying to hurt your friend."_

_ "He knocked into the one who was actually hurting my friend."_

_ "Remind me to never be suspicious around you. I don't want to wind up on fire."_

_ She looked at him, forcing herself not to smile. "Somehow I think that might be difficult for you, Severus."_

His first instinct was the to track her down and put her in detention for the rest of her life, but he had no idea how he would explain her "confession" to anyone. The longer he looked at the singed hole, remembered the coy smile on her face as she told him exactly what she was going to do to him, he felt his own lips upturn in a smile.

"Ten points to Gryffindor," he whispered, knowing the rubies in the hourglass would record his silent gift. "For nerve."

XXXXXXXXXX

_8 May, 1993_

"Professor Snape!" a portrait snapped at him, looking out of breath and upset. "Come quickly. Third floor by the library. There's been another attack."

His stomach sank as he rushed through the halls. Surely this was going to be then end of Hogwarts, or at the very least all the Muggle-borns were going to be sent home. And while neither situation was ideal, both would ensure the safety of…

_Granger._ He came to a dead halt the moment he rounded the corner. He could distinguish, even from the distance, the bushy hair. There was another student with her, but he couldn't even look to see who it was. Granger was holding a mirror in her outstretched hand, a look of shock on her face, looking more a statue that had toppled over than a student. Her eyes were open, but there was no life behind them. His only relief was that she was in such a rigid state. Petrified bodies went rigid. Dead ones did not, at least not in the perfect mid-crouch stance she was in.

"Oh, my word!" he heard McGonagall gasp from the adjoining hallway. He rushed forward, kneeling next to the students. "Granger," the Transfiguration Professor whispered, shock evident in her voice.

"And Clearwater," Severus added, trying not to sound as though there were only one student who mattered.

"We have to get them to the hospital," she said, conjuring up two stretchers.

"I can get them to the hospital. You should go inform the Headmaster. The game is slated to start in twenty minutes, it might not be the best idea to be playing at the moment."

"You're right," she nodded. "Be careful with them. I'll send whoever I run across to assist you."

"No need. I'll already be there," he growled to her retreating back. He gently levitated Miss Clearwater's body onto the first stretcher, then reached out his arms to lift Hermione's form onto the second. She was so small, so light… it didn't take much for him to lay her gently on the second stretcher, then levitate both and maneuver them quickly and carefully through the hallways up to the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey was on her feet and directing him to two beds before she had even spoken two words. The line of petrified people, ghost, and cat was nearly stretching the length of one side of the wing, each sequestered by curtains. Soon Hermione would join them, as soon as the Healer could confirm she was only petrified. There was nothing else they could do for her until the Mandrakes were ready. He already had the potion stewing, it needed at least a month to mature before adding the Mandrakes, and it would be waiting the moment the things were ready to be cut up. Knowing Pomona's weak stomach, he would probably wind up doing that deed himself.

Hermione was set up in the last bed in the row, closest to the window. He set up the curtains around Hermione's bed and stood, looking at her as Poppy tended to Miss Clearwater.

"It's unfortunate, Severus," he flinched as he heard Albus' voice behind him.

"She'll pull through," he replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

"It is still hard to see a student in such a state."

He felt his back go straighter as Albus said the word 'student'.

"Minerva is sending the students back up from the pitch. We have to prepare to close the school. Unless you have found…"

"I assure you, none in my house are doing this, nor do they have any knowledge of who is doing it," he snapped. Dumbledore had been on his back more than the other Heads of House, and Severus knew it was because he suspected a Slytherin of being the one opening the chamber. For obvious reasons. Dumbledore was sure it was Riddle who opened it fifty years prior, and Riddle would not trust any outside his own house to do his work for him. But Severus had spoken to each of his students, and, while the idea disgusted him even after the fact, entered each of their minds in search of the culprit. He wanted the wrongdoer thrown out as much as anyone else, but no one in his house had any knowledge of the events other than the stories and schoolyard gossip surrounding them. It simply couldn't be a Slytherin, but Dumbledore didn't seem convinced of this fact and kept pressuring him to search again.

"Very well," Dumbledore did not sound convinced. "Inform your students that they need to pack. While there are no immediate plans to close the school, in the event of another attack we will shut it down within the hour, and they should be ready to leave."

"Understood," he replied shortly.

"I need you to keep an eye on your students, Severus. I will not be here much longer. Probably tonight."

He looked over his shoulder at the Headmaster.

"With the attacks going on there have been rumors that I am incompetent to prevent them, and therefore unfit to continue my role as Headmaster. I suspect Lucius Malfoy will have the signatures required for my ousting by tonight. You know better than most where Lucius' interests lie, and it is not with this school beyond Draco. But he trusts you, and will act through you. I implore you to keep the students' interest first."

"Have I ever not?"

Dumbledore gave a curt little nod. "Then off with you, Severus."

He gave one glance back at Hermione, then started the trek down to the dungeons to talk to the Slytherins. Dumbledore was right. It was that very night that he was removed as headmaster and Hagrid was taken to Azkaban as a suspect in the attacks. Almost before Dumbledore was off grounds Lucius left several 'suggestions' for the running of the school with Severus, to be discussed with McGonagall. Severus promised to do so, then burned the list as soon as Lucius was gone. Very late that night, after his patrols were over and when it seemed the monster was not going to make another appearance that day, he Disillusioned himself, snuck into the hospital wing, and positioned himself on the window ledge closest to Hermione's bed. He dozed off and on, waking with a start with every noise he heard. He vowed to return each night until the school was evacuated, the students un-petrified, or until the monster was confirmed dead. He justified this was protection of all the students, and refused to let his brain connect it to any one in particular.

XXXXXXXXXX

_October, 1993_

"Come in!" Lupin's voice called through the door, and Severus slowly opened the door to the office he had so coveted. The last time he was in here, he was prodding Lockhart to teach the students something that didn't have any connection to the man's favorite subject of himself, but the dunderhead didn't have the brains to get anything but a direct message, and Severus even delivered that to no avail. So it was a relief to not see the same face dozens, if not hundreds of times, staring back at him with a smile that would make anyone want to knock out the owner's teeth. Be that as it were, there was only one smile in his direction, and he was still tempted to remove a few teeth by force.

"Severus, thank you," Lupin said as Severus placed the goblet he was carrying at the very edge of the desk as far as he could from his old nemesis. "To health," the werewolf toasted before downing the potion, cleaning the goblet with his wand, and handing it back to Severus.

"I'll be back tomorrow with another dose. You should be okay with that as your final dose this cycle."

"Indeed I should," Lupin nodded. "Have a seat, Severus. There is something I would like to discuss with you."

"I do not have the time for idle chit-chat," he snapped.

"I wish to talk," Remus started, ignoring his comment, "about Miss Granger."

Severus stiffened and scowled deeply.

"I can guess by your reaction you have come to the same conclusions as I?"

He didn't reply.

"I was unsure at first. I asked Minerva a bit about her, as Minerva was the one who had gone to tell her and her parents about Hogwarts and our world. Her mother's name is Jean, and they bear the type of resemblance you'd expect a parent to bear to their child. I found it most intriguing that Mrs. Granger's maiden name was Puckle."

"It is intriguing," he repeated, trying to sound blasé.

"Don't act ignorant, Severus, we both know you are not. Young Miss Granger and Miss Puckle seem to be one and the same. I'd guess that you came to that same realization within days of her arrival, perhaps even the day she came here."

"Once again the amazing powers of deduction possessed by our current Defense teacher shine through. If you'll excuse me," he said, opening the door.

"You were much happier then," Lupin called, and he froze. "It may have only been a few weeks, but I could see the difference in you. You were more relaxed. You took more care with your appearance. I even saw you smiling once or twice. When she left, you came back, nastier than ever. The world seemingly had wronged you, and after that, your temper was shorter than I had ever seen it. I'm sure I know why.

"I have heard stories of how you treat Miss Granger. Most blame it on her friendship with Potter, and you have shown obvious disdain for the boy. But I think I know why. She should be one of your favorite students. She completes the assignments, supplies answers in class, and does the work quickly, quietly, and skillfully. And yet you take points from her for these tasks and undeservedly insult her for her intelligence. I know what you are trying to do, Severus. You think if you're cruel to her she won't return. It obviously didn't work. If you truly want to accomplish your goal you are going about it the wrong way, and I suspect you know that. I suspect you know how to achieve what you think you want, and that would be kindness towards her. You've always been good at deceit, you could easily trick her into the thinking you are happy and not in need of her interference, though I suspect if you tried now, she would get suspicious. I shouldn't discourage you from your path, as I think she did you good and she had to have had her reasons for it. In fact, I strongly encourage you to just let things happen as they have. You know you will see her again one day the way you saw her sixteen years ago."

"I have no need for your sudden concern over my life, past or present," he snapped, and he swept from the room, slamming the door behind him. Lupin was convinced that his appearance of misery and distaste for life was the reason Hermione felt the need to go along with Dumbledore's plan to send her back, and deep down he suspected it might be. But, he reasoned, he had chosen the path of trying to dissuade her by causing her to hate him, and he could not make a change now. He had chosen wrong paths before, and if this one lead to Hermione embarking upon her mission, a very small voice in his head said it might not be such a bad thing.


	22. Drawing Near

**A/N: I want to wrap up Hermione's Hogwarts years in one chapter, so you get an extra long one!  
**

**Freakyinker, I expect that capital-letter praise ;)**

**Thanks to everyone who expressed concern. My father-in-law is very ill, and we're not sure if he's going to make it. He also lives across the country from us, so we haven't made a decision about going out there quite yet. If I disappear for a while, that may be the cause. **

_6 June, 1994_

The door to Lupin's office was ajar, but he knocked anyways, hoping he could pass the goblet full of Wolfsbane potion to his former nemesis without having to talk to him, something he had been avoiding since Lupin confronted him about Hermione. There was no reply, so he cautiously opened the door. There was plenty of time before the moon rose, but he still knew to be cautious.

Wherever Lupin had gone he had done so in a tremendous hurry, leaving a sandwich half-eaten on his cluttered desk. An old piece of parchment was laid across the desk, and Severus glanced down to see what it was. In front of him was the most amazing map of the castle, with passages and nooks he had no idea existed, though, he breathed a sigh of relief, whoever made the map seemed to not know about the secret potions lab. Scanning the map he saw nothing out of order, at least, not much. The Minister was coming back up to the castle with Dumbledore and Macnair, meaning he would certainly be avoiding the Headmaster's office for the next few hours. Knowing Lupin needed to take the potion quickly lest he become a danger to the students he scanned the map quickly, and his stomach dropped as he noticed a rather conspicuous absence, or three. It took a minute of scanning before he found Hermione and Potter, and he was shocked to see they were heading deep into the Forbidden Forest alone Then he found Lupin, exiting the castle and moving towards the Whomping Willow, and he saw a passage going from the tree off the map towards Hogsmeade. And, much to his confusion, Hermione was going through the passage with Potter. He just caught a glimpse of their dots as they disappeared off the side of the map. Was Lupin going to have someone private to pass the transformation, and the trio had the bad luck to be heading to the same place? Or, and his stomach quickly knotted, was it a trap? Had Lupin sent the trio to the place where Black was hiding?

Quickly he rushed from the castle and across the grounds, pausing to decide which way to go, and deciding that the werewolf was not to be trusted. Right before he hit the tree his foot hit something, causing him to slip, and when he looked down to see what was tangled around his leg he saw it had disappeared. Ice ran through his veins as he realized he had just found Potter's invisibility cloak. Now he knew the students were in the shack, and if Black wasn't there, a werewolf was about to be. How could Hermione have let herself get into this situation? He knew the girl was reckless, and didn't seem to mind to bend a rule or two, but this was downright dangerous.

He rushed through the passage, coming out in the Shrieking Shack. As silently as possible he crept through the house, coming to the dingy bedroom where Hermione, Potter, and Weasley were standing across from Lupin and Black. The latter two of these were explaining what they had done during their Hogwarts years, Black admitting to being an illegal animagius. They seemed to be trying to convince the trio that they were not harmful, and then they started admitting what they had done to him. At first, the trio seemed to be skeptical of the story, Potter in particular was worked up. And then he noticed something. Black was studying Hermione, scrutinizing her as though he were trying to place her. There was no way he was going to give Black the opportunity to realize who Hermione was, or talk to her at all. He revealed himself, taking control of the situation. It would be sweet revenge to be the one who turned Black in, the icing on the cake would be sending the werewolf with him for helping the convict into the castle.

He hadn't been expecting the trio to attack him. And when he came to he really didn't expect to be back on the Hogwarts grounds. He had no time to orient himself, as the first sight he saw was the trio, cowered together. He hurried to shepherd them back to the castle, and that's when he heard the growling. Panic overcame him, and he moved in front of Hermione, and by extension the boys, praying that if Lupin was going to attack them that the wolf would attack him first, and give her a chance to escape. Suddenly Black appeared as the giant black dog, fighting the werewolf. Something called the wolf into the woods, and Black staggered off, obviously injured. Before he could stop them Hermione and Potter ran after them, and at the same time Weasley tried to move, too, stepping into a hole and further damaging his leg.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he growled as he bent by Weasley, conjuring up bandages. "You're going to get her killed!"

Those wasted seconds were everything, and by the time he caught up with Hermione and Potter a strange sight greeted him. Potter and Black were unconscious by a pond in the forest, Hermione terrified nearby, the Dementors in the area being kept at bay by a stag patronus. He managed to get over the shock quickly enough to send a message to the castle, and he approached the scene carefully.

"Granger, are you okay?" he asked, as he came up to her.

Wide-eyed she nodded. "Help them," she pleaded.

Together they knelt between Potter and Black. He was still too concerned by the nearby Dementors to feel elation as he secured Black.

"Please, don't, Professor," Hermione begged. "He's innocent."

"Miss Granger," he started.

"No! It was Pettigrew!" she protested.

He looked up at her in surprise.

"Please. Pettigrew transformed. He was Ron's rat. He escaped!"

"Quiet," he ordered, and luckily the Headmaster arrived with the Minister in tow. The protests continued, both from Hermione, and then Potter when he woke up until he left them under the watchful eye of Madam Pomfrey. But to his horror it was discovered soon after that Black had escaped. He knew Potter had something to do with it, and was prepared to expose him when Dumbledore asked how he expected Potter and Granger to be in two places at once. And he realized what happened. He had been told Hermione had been given a Time Turner. Anything he said against Potter would fall back on her. And he decided to stay quiet. It was only later that he realized that if he really wanted to guarantee that she never returned to his Hogwarts years he had been handed the opportunity on a silver platter, and he had let it go.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_25 December, 1994_

He was already in a foul mood, the Dark Mark becoming more prominent, a sure sign that his first Summons would be happening soon. He could only hope that it happened after the school year. The Dark Lord was probably going to be very upset at them, and would take out his anger with them physically. He did not want the students to see him in that state. He also did not need Karkaroff following him around like a dependent mutt, trying to get him to talk about it regardless of who might overhear them. If Igor did not watch himself, he might not need to worry about the Dark Lord.

Albus would be upset if he committed murder on the grounds, but his patience was wearing thin and it would almost be worth getting the headmaster furious at him.

And so he was getting out a little frustration during his outdoor patrols during the Yule Ball, catching students, taking away points (more from Gryffindor, less from Slytherin, but points either way). But even that was losing its appeal, and when nature called, he decided to call it a night. He cast one more spell around the courtyard as he walked up the steps to the entrance hall, and smirked as he heard several yelps of students who had managed to elude his searches.

"Ten points from each!" he snapped over his shoulder, and he glanced at the hourglasses and felt a mixture of annoyance and pride as he saw most of the upward moving jewels were from Slytherin. He bypassed the Great Hall and turned down a smaller hallway for a shortcut to the bathroom, but was stopped dead by the sight of two figures joined at the lips, snogging furiously, seemingly unaware of their audience. He opened his mouth to chastise them when he recognized the periwinkle-blue dress Hermione had been wearing during her grand entrance, and the exquisitely tailored robes of Viktor Krum.

"Hermione!" he snapped involuntarily, and she jumped away from Krum as if burned by him.

"Sir!" she cried, wide-eyed, face rapidly turning red.

He couldn't speak for a couple seconds out of rage. "Twenty-five points from Gryffindor," he snarled.

She stared defiantly at him. "Professor, sir," she said, slowly and evenly. "I know I am breaking no rules."

"Another ten!" he snapped.

"You have no right…" she started, but Krum wrapped an arm around her and talked soothingly into her ear to calm her before she made things worse, but his actions achieved the opposite of his goal, and Severus felt his hand twitching towards his wand with fantasies of destroying the young foreign wizard playing through his head.

"Another ten for telling a teacher how to do their jobs," he growled through clenched teeth.

"Sir," she said, but Krum quieted her again.

"Mr. Krum, you may take your leave to your ship," he said, drawing himself up to full height. "Trust that I will be having a talk with Headmaster Karkaroff about this."

"Yes, sir," Krum nodded. "Good night, Hermy-own-ninny."

"Good night, Viktor," she whispered, with a smile before he nodded to Severus and left them alone in the corridor.

"Hermy-own-ninny?" Severus sneered. "You couldn't find someone with enough brains to learn to pronounce your name right? I must admit being disappointed in you, Miss Granger."

"That was uncalled for, Professor," she said, and he could tell she was barely controlling her anger at him.

"You were acting inappropriately in the hallway…"

"There is no rule against a little light snogging in the corridors as long as we are not being distracting or disruptive!" she nearly shouted.

"I forgot I was talking to the walking manual of rules at this school. Let me assure you…"

"You are out of line, Professor," she interrupted suddenly, and he realized that he had advanced on her, and now had her backed into a corner, her back pressed against the stone of the curve in the wall, and with a rush of blood below he remembered their stolen kisses against various stone surfaces. The memories were now merging with the exquisitely made-up version of the young witch in front of him. How he wanted to grab her and kiss her the way they had once kissed, to show her how a proper man kisses a woman and not how some trumped-up foreigner snogs, but as quickly as the thought came, guilt at it overtook him. She was fifteen for Merlin's sake! He found himself breathing heavily, and there was genuine fear in her eyes, something he had never before seen in the young Hermione. Curious, saddened, but never frightened.

"Go," he ordered. "To Gryffindor tower. No points will be taken for this if you go now."

She slithered by him, taking care not to touch him, a feat in the cramped corridor. She moved in a half-run to the end of the corridor, back towards the dance. He followed her out of the corner of his eye as he pretended to stare down the other side of the corridor. There she turned, twice opened her mouth to say something, and then disappeared.

That night he found it impossible to sleep. Every time he was close the image of her pressed against Krum, their lips dancing together came charging back to the forefront of his mind and brought him back to consciousness with a flare of jealousy. That night he realized something. Even though her beauty was understated and clearly not her main concern, even though she was intelligent and seemingly was more interested in her studies than men, it seemed like men were showing an interest in her, and it was not limited to the socially awkward like Neville Longbottom, who he had seen stare at her longingly on several occasions. She had garnered the affections of an older, intelligent, highly sought-after wizard, and it cemented one idea in his mind: that Hermione Granger was too good for him.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_18 December, 1995_

An insistent knocking on the door brought him out of a troubled sleep, and he answered still wearing his night clothes and ready to murder whoever was on the other side. To his surprise it was Dumbledore, holding a flask of bubbling liquid, concern lining his face.

"Arthur Weasley has been attacked, Severus," he said without a greeting.

A million questions passed through his brain, but he realized what Albus was holding. "Venomous?" he asked with a nod to the flask.

"Voldemort's snake," he nodded.

Severus scowled. When he first laid eyes on Nagini he was quite sure that this was the reason Hermione had been pushing him towards antivenin. He was wondering how he would manage to get enough venom to successfully make an antivenin. Any direct attempt would be reported by the snake to Voldemort, and he would be outed as a spy and killed. Now here was Dumbledore, with enough to create the antivenin.

"How bad is he?" Severus asked.

"Stable, but he won't stop bleeding. You have a few days."

"It'll be done in two."

And he hadn't lied. Two days later he decanted his cauldron of antivenin into a dozen phials after a successful test. Half of these he packed in an unassuming container and delivered to Dumbledore. The other half, along with his carefully written notes, he stored in his locked cabinet. There were only two people in the castle who would be able to retrieve it, himself and, when she returned, Hermione. That way he assured there was a way for Hermione to save his life, while guaranteeing he wouldn't be kept alive by anyone else. There was only one reason he would want to survive the impending war, and if she was unwilling or unable he would happily accept his death. He had set up his survival, but he was still not sure if he'd be willing to tell Hermione when and if the time came.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_27 December, 1995_

"Moony, I've been wondering if you and I are on the same page about young Miss Granger," Sirius said, handing Lupin a glass of firewhiskey and settling on the chair opposite him. It was two days after Christmas, and the children were all in bed after much prompting by Mrs. Weasley. It was the only time of day he felt safe talking to Lupin about sensitive matters, with the gratuitous Extendable Ear use by the Weasley twins. Even though he was sure the twins were in bed, he cast a _Muffliato_ just to be safe.

"What about her?" Lupin asked slowly.

"She's starting to look an awful lot like a juicy little tart who turned me down so many years ago, don't you think?" he asked with a smirk.

"You're talking about Puckle," Remus said with a sigh. Sirius had been around so many women during his Hogwarts years, he had kind of hoped Hermione would fly under his radar, but apparently, a woman who rejected The Sirius Black was much more memorable than the women who fawned all over him.

"Of course I am, Moony!" he said with a barking laugh. "That arse does not lie. They are one and the same girl, I know it."

"You do realize you're talking about the rear end of a sixteen year old?"

"She wasn't sixteen when I first stared at it," he pointed out.

"All the same, she's sixteen now," he rolled his eyes.

"Sixteen is damn close to seventeen. Not to mention the same age we were when she first appeared to us, the age she _claimed_ to be," Sirius sighed, taking a long drink before looking into the amber liquid contemplatively. "I can't let her do it, Moony."

"Let her do what?"

"Go back. Snog Snivellous. You know what happened. It's unnatural. She must have been doing it on someone's orders."

"I seriously doubt she was snogging him that way on someone's orders. Someone sent her back, but I'm thinking the snogging was voluntary."

"What do you mean, 'that way'?" Sirius asked, genuinely curious.

"I would think of all people, I don't need to spell it out for you," he replied, trying to keep his voice low.

Sirius shivered. "There's a mental image I didn't need. That git has been stalking around here, and don't tell me you haven't noticed his eyes wandering below her neck or her belt. I'm not the only one looking at sixteen year olds."

"The difference is they saw each other way back when. You just panted after her, but you never got to touch."

"I should have got to touch. It was a crime I didn't get to touch and Snivellous did. And now I have to sit here, knowing what she's going to do, and I can't in good conscience let her do it."

"Don't, Sirius. We don't know why she went back. Whoever sent her, and I have a sneaking suspicion who, obviously wanted her to do something. It's between her and that person if she accomplished her goal or not."

"I seriously doubt her goal involved snogging Snivellous."

"All the more reason to think she did it voluntarily."

"She's young. Young girls make dumb mistakes. I'm pretty sure I can talk her out of it…"

"Don't," he repeated forcefully. "Just leave it, Sirius. Let Severus have one win."

"Win?" he scoffed.

"The girl he desired went with James. The girl you desired went with him. I'm pretty sure Severus considers that a win in his book, especially with as hard as you were trying. Or will, when she finally comes round to him permanently."

There was a horrified look across Sirius' face when he realized Hermione's fling might not stay only in the past. With a renewed look of determination he said, "Which gives me reason to stop it. Can you imagine what it's going to be like if they get together now? It was bad enough to be subjected to it then. Now it'll be a bloody nightmare. You know he won't keep it private around me. The prat would love to show her off in front of me. I won't stand for it. I don't like being one-upped by Snivellous."

"There are precious few people who remember you getting one-upped by Snivellous. In fact, I think it's you, Severus, probably Dumbledore, and myself. Let him have this one thing. He has had so little good in his life."

"My life has not exactly been a walk in the park either, Moony," Sirius grumbled, then he quieted as he thought hard for a moment. "But I guess I have to concede Granger to him. Can't imagine what I might say to her that won't let her know what's going on anyway. I don't like it, but I can't stop it."

"You really are taking one for the team, there, Padfoot," he rolled his eyes.

"Hm," Sirius grunted. After a moment he asked, "You

think she shagged him?"

"I think it's none of our business," he replied, hoping the confidence in his voice covered for the fact that he was sure they had slept together.

"I know, but I want to be there to see the look on Potter's face when he finds out. Or to keep him from doing something rash. Harry is not known for underreacting to situations, and Snivellous can be a tricky bastard, and with an arse like that to fight for…"

"Sirius," Lupin groaned.

"Sorry, mate," he said with a lopsided grin. "Can't help myself. Now, enough of my problems dealing with the fairer sex, and let's talk about yours."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_18 June, 1996_

He waited in the entrance hall, pacing quickly, glancing out the open doors awaiting Dumbledore showing up with the students. After leaving the students with Umbridge, he hurried to check on Black, and finding the dog staying where he should be, returned with a phial of out-of-date Veritaserum, which would prompt Potter to tell half-truths and feed misleading information to the Head-pain-in-his-arse. He was surprised to find the room devoid of Gryffindors, with the befuddled members of the Inquisitorial Squad lying around, attempting to repair the damage of various hexes and jinxes. He sorted everything out in two minutes, then demanded to know what happened. Draco told him that Granger had admitted that Dumbledore had a secret weapon, and that it was being worked on by his army and kept deep in the woods where no one might come stumble across it. The story oozed bullshit, but apparently Umbridge had bought it, and took Granger and Potter into the woods. After they were gone, the Weasleys, Longbottom and Lovegood managed to overpower the Squad, despite being outnumbered and unarmed, and rushed from the castle to find Potter and Hermione. He shouted at them for all being thicker than a set of encyclopedias, took ten points each, stripped them of their duties and sent them back to the dormitory. He then ran out of the castle, hoping to catch Potter and tell him that his Godfather was fine, but there was no sign of them. He was about to go into the woods himself when he saw several Thestrals lift into the air, each with a student clinging to its back.

He had to make a split decision. He could fly to them, try to catch up and explain, but it would take too long to get a broom and he had no desire to reveal that the Dark Lord had taught him to fly without assistance. Besides, with Dumbledore gone, Minerva in the hospital, and Umbridge most likely insulting something that was going to kill her, he suddenly found himself acting Headmaster of Hogwarts under a well-hidden set of paper Dumbledore had insisted on writing up, and leaving the grounds without formally appointing a successor could leave the castle vulnerable. If the Dark Lord knew Hogwarts staff were being forced out by the day, he might see it as a prime opportunity to take over the castle. He had to stay and protect it. So he rushed to the closest fireplace, which was in Hagrid's hut. The place smelled like that damn dog and something he wasn't sure he wanted to know, but there was some Floo powder left, and he tossed it into the fireplace growling "Spinner's End!"

Dumbledore was sitting on his threadbare couch reading the Prophet, and he looked up the moment Snape's head came into view.

"I know you don't live here much, Severus, but it could use a good cleaning…" he said in way of greeting.

"It's happening," Severus cut him off. "Potter and his friends, they're gone. I neither know nor care of what came of the toad, but she went into the woods and hasn't come out. Potter seems to think the Dark Lord has Black, but I've confirmed Black is at Headquarters. He must be getting to the boy, Albus, and you must hurry or he won't be coming out alive."

"Thank you, Severus. Stay with the school and keep it safe," he said, jumping to his feet and reaching for his wand.

"Yes, sir," he grumbled in mock salute as he stepped out of the fireplace. He warned Poppy that there may be injuries coming in, but refused to say who, how many, or why. The less she knew, the better. Then he went to wait. It was hours that he was pacing in the hall, twice shooing away Filch, who was looking for Umbridge, before Albus appeared, several Order members behind him, several stretchers moving in front of them.

Of course the worst of these had to be Hermione, who was unconscious with a large burn mark across her chest, and he instantaneously knew that she had lied about being in a car crash. He tended to her himself, but not being at the Ministry to see what she had been hit with, he wasn't sure which curse he was working on.

"Who saw her get hurt?" he demanded to her friends, who were all on their own cots getting tended to.

"I did," Neville replied weakly, fighting the effects of the sleeping potion Poppy forced upon him, his clothes still coated in blood.

"What did it look like?" he asked.

"Purple. Purple flames."

"Purple flames?" he said, knowing immediately it was a curse of Dolohov's, his signature, and it was usually lethal.

"Yeah, but I didn't hear it. Hermione had silenced him, so he couldn't say it."

Ah, so that's why she was alive. Dolohov, never one for subtlety, had difficulty putting power behind his non-verbal curses. But it would have caused extensive internal damage, and if he didn't get the proper potions in her, it might still prove fatal. Though, in the back of his mind, he knew it wouldn't. His memories of her proved she had survived this.

"Dumbledore!" he snapped, satisfaction thick in his voice. He might follow Dumbledore's orders everywhere else, but in here, with lives on the line, the old man answered to him. He gave Albus a list of potions he needed from his private stores, which held more powerful potions than Poppy felt comfortable storing where a student would have the opportunity to nick them. With the help of a couple of House-elves, Dumbledore had the potions in the hospital in minutes. Severus administered the proper dosages, writing down what he was doing, as Hermione would have days of these potions to endure, and at least a week hospital stay.

Most of the students were healed, monitored for a night, then sent away. He stayed that first night, offering to help out Poppy and making sure Hermione got her potions on time. He kipped on the bed next to hers, getting up every two hours to give her another round. Ron Weasley had earned a couple more nights when he was still Befuddeled enough to propose to Poppy in front of Fred and George (and even he had to hide the smile threatening to emerge at the look on the twins' faces when their younger brother did that), but left in time for Sunday brunch. But the students, who had been told that there was confirmation that Voldemort was indeed back, were coming in droves for stress related problems, and Severus 'volunteered' to continue to spend the night in the bed next to Hermione's, under the guise of giving Poppy a break, but after a couple nights merely had to wake her so she could take the potions on her own.

A week and a day later, Poppy declared Hermione well enough to leave, and Severus provided her with another week's worth of potions to help her finish recovering.

"I wanted to thank you, sir," she stopped him before they walked out of the hospital wing. "For making these potions and making sure I took them properly."

"It's nothing worth thanking me over. There probably would have been a fallout had I let you die," he retorted.

"Still, you didn't have to come every night to make sure I took them. It was… kind of you."

"_Don't_ mention it," he said, forcing himself not to let his lips upturn.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_30 June, 1997_

If he had a soul, he was sure part of it went tumbling off that tower with Dumbledore. Bellatrix was beside herself with happiness, randomly hexing anything and everything in her joy. She was all for getting Dumbledore's body and hanging it in a public place to prove their prowess. She had no idea…

He had hoped beyond hope that he had given Hermione a task to keep her at the post Potter had given her down near the dungeons. He told her and the Lovegood girl to watch over the supposedly passed-out form of Flitwick, but the girls didn't listen. As he and the Death Eaters entered the main part of the castle, he was confronted with the sight of Hermione fighting, narrowly missing several killing curses thrown at her by Rowle, with Greyback nearby, eyeing her hungrily.

"We're leaving," he announced, grabbing the werewolf's shirt and pushing him towards the door and away from Hermione.

"We can defeat them!" Bellatrix argued. "Half their fighters are children!"

"The Dark Lord does not wish us to take Hogwarts right now. We had our mission, it is accomplished. We are to leave," he ordered.

"But…"

"Do you doubt your Master, Bellatrix?" he snarled.

She stared at him defiantly, but the order had come from Voldemort, and she would never disobey her Dark Lord. She joined the fray, battling furiously towards the Great Hall, and the exit beyond. Severus stayed as much in the shadows as he could, but he did risk a glance back at Granger, who was visibly exhausted from keeping up a battle with older and more practiced wizards, but was physically okay.

Once they had all made it outside the grounds, he chanced one last look back at the castle. If she was smart, she'd never return to it. If she were smart, she'd leave the country and run as far as she could as fast as she could. He was sure she would be leaving Hogwarts for good after the funeral, and she would run, but she wouldn't leave the country. Dumbledore had told him that part of Voldemort's soul lived in Harry, and from there, it wasn't hard to figure out what was going on. The Diary that possessed the Weasley girl was no mere enchanted book. It, too, contained part of the Dark Lord's soul. And most likely the ring that cursed Dumbledore's hand, which wasn't cursed to kill non-Slytherins, an obvious lie Dumbledore had tried to feed him. Voldemort had made Horcruxes, at least four of them, as he was sure that's where Dumbledore and Potter had gone that night, and probably more. The Dark Lord was obsessed with the number seven, and he was sure that the seventh Horcrux was to be made with Potter's murder, but had in fact made Potter into one. Which is why Dumbledore told him that Potter was to be killed by Voldemort. Dumbledore said he was leaving Potter the sword of Gryffindor, but had no faith the Ministry would hand it over. And so he and Severus hid it in the wall behind where Dumbledore's portrait would hang. Perhaps the only person who had more confidence and calm regarding his death than himself was Dumbledore.

So Hermione would follow Potter, off to find the last of the Horcruxes. And he would have to wait until the right moment to give it to him. But for now, he was going to have to play his part. With one final look at the castle, and his last look knowing where Hermione was and that she was safe, he Apparated away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_1 September, 1997_

It was his first night as Headmaster, and he was frantically moving through every nook and cranny he could find, trying to find whatever Albus had left behind that caused Hermione to go back in time. He had not seen her since the day of Albus' death, but had heard only of her exploits since then through channels and rumors. He was not surprised when she, Potter, and Weasley had not shown up at the castle, he probably would have been terrified had they actually done so. Because Hermione Puckle was still a memory that haunted him, Albus had gone to his grave without destroying whatever means she had to go back and torment him. So this was his last chance. There was no way he could convince her to not go back now, so now his only option was to destroy her means of doing so. Dumbledore would not hide whatever it was outside of the Headmaster's office unless he could have constant surveillance, and at the moment there were more pressing security issues. There was nowhere else in the castle that was guaranteed to be safe. He had spent hours opening every book and removing every portrait, but he couldn't find a thing.

He looked up at the empty portrait that normally held Dumbledore's likeness, but he had a tendency to disappear when Severus was alone in the room. Severus had gone through the place with a fine-toothed comb several times and had not found a hint of what Albus had left for Hermione to travel back in time.

There was a knock at the door, and he waved his wand around to set the room right.

"Enter!" he barked.

Alecto Carrow came in, dragging a bruised, bloodied, dazed, and yet defiant looking Neville Longbottom. Severus sighed. It was going to be a very long year.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_26 December, 1997_

"They are in the Forest of Dean, Headmaster," Phineas Nigellus' portrait announced.

"You know what to do, Severus," Dumbledore's portrait said. "You must not be seen."

He swallowed hard, then waved his wand at the portrait, which swung forward, revealing the hidden compartment. He took the sword, tucked it under his robes, and left the castle. He Apparated to the Forest of Dean, and looked around, quickly noticing a small pond that had frozen over. It was a good place to hide the sword before he went to go find Potter and lead him to it. He went to the pond, vanished the ice, then moved the sword to the middle of the lake with his wand and let it drop to the bottom before he covered the pond with ice again.

The more challenging part was finding Potter and Granger. He wandered through the woods, floating just above the ground as to not make a sound. It was subtle when he found it, just a shimmer of a protective spell in the moonlight. It took a couple minutes to figure out which spells she was using, and he carefully categorized them in his mind for later. He took down each one slowly and meticulously, knowing if he made haste he might set off some sort of alarm, but nothing sounded. When the wards were all down he got a view of the tent he knew had been her home for months. She was sitting outside, curled up against the cold, a book across her lap. She was looking worn, and on the edge of looking defeated. But that could be attributed to the locket around her neck. She was cold, he knew that look even from a distance, and wanted nothing more than to conjure up some more blankets for her, but it would probably cause her to panic and run again, and he had to get the sword to Potter. He watched her for a few minutes before he realized that she wasn't flipping the pages of the book, and when the moon came out from behind the clouds he could see the reflections of tears down her cheeks. A few minutes later, Potter emerged, and in a silent exchange that had been rehearsed several times, she handed over the necklace and her wand, and disappeared inside.

Severus put the wards back up, waiting until he was sure Hermione was asleep, and sent his Patronus through the trees, ready to entice Potter to the sword.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_March, 1998_

He opened and closed his fist several times trying to alleviate the pain from the Dark Mark that was radiating up and down his forearm. Something big was happening, but he didn't have his Floo hooked up, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. The last time there was this much pain, Harry Potter had narrowly escaped from Godric's Hallow. So he poured himself three fingers of firewhiskey and waited for the visitor to come bearing the news he was sure was coming.

Amycus didn't bother knocking, as was his custom nowadays.

"Frightful night at Malfoy Manor, Snape," he said in his grating voice. "Frightful night," he repeated, helping himself to some firewhiskey.

"Are you going to tell me what happened or are you going to sit there and drain my last bottle of Ogden's Finest?"

"Some Snatchers caught Potter and his little friends out in the woods when they used the Tabooed word. Brought him to Malfoy Manor. There was a bit of a problem. Seems Potter had the Sword of Gryffindor. So Bellatrix tried to find out how they came to possess it, she interrogated the Mudblood…"

Despite just having taken a sip of firewhiskey Severus' mouth was suddenly dry.

"… Not sure what it said, just that it denied knowing how they got the sword. Somehow Potter and the Weasley boy got out of the basement, attacked Bellatrix and the Malfoys, stole a couple of wands, and escaped."

"How?" Severus managed to ask.

"Some house-elf, from what I've heard."

"A house-elf?"

"That's what I heard. The Dark Lord is less than pleased, as you can probably tell."

"Obviously," he muttered. "They all got out?"

"Them and Ollivander and the Lovegood oddity. From what I heard, the Dark Lord left quite a few bodies to clean up."

"Unbelievable," he breathed.

"You're telling me. I'm not upset I'm here instead of there. Only good thing that came out of the night is that apparently Bellatrix gave the Mudblood a reminder about her station that she'll carry for the rest of her life, however short that may be."

His eyes narrowed. "What kind of reminder?" he asked with a pit in his stomach.

"Gave her a mark of her own," he smirked sinisterly. "Right on her arm, in her own blood."

The information made him feel momentarily sick. He knew about the scars on her arm before, but she must have altered them so he didn't know what they really said. And who could blame her? If she really had 'Mudblood' written on her arm, it might have been suicide to walk into the Slytherin common room. "Don't you have rounds to do?" he grumbled. "Aren't you supposed to be finding where all those Gryffindors are hiding?"

"Yes, Headmaster," he replied, with no small hint of sarcasm. He downed the rest of his drink and was gone, leaving Severus alone with his thoughts.


	23. Return

**A/N: Short, but I think the one most of you have been waiting for.**

The room came into existence around her, and she was immediately overcome with the smell of smoke. She stayed crouched over, sobbing into the dust-covered carpet. She gulped in air in attempt to get herself under control, and steel herself for the confrontation that was about to happen. But she knew she had very little time before Harry would be coming out of the Pensieve. She needed to figure out everything before he returned. One look at Dumbledore's portrait sent a wave of rage rushing over her, and she grabbed a fallen book and threw it at the ornate frame.

"You bastard!" she shouted, reaching for another book to throw. "You knew what was going to happen, and you still sent me back there!"

"You made the choice, Hermione," he replied calmly, despite her hitting him in the nose with _An Advanced Study of Herbology_.

"I thought I was going to push him out of the Death Eaters. I thought maybe I would be his friend. I never thought..."

"That you would help him get to the point he's at now?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not!" she shouted. "If I thought I was going to go back and not make a damn bit of difference..."

"Did you not?" he asked quietly.

Her eyes widened, and she threw another book, this time hitting his forehead. "Severus Snape is dead!" she shouted. "I watched him die in the Shrieking Shack! That memory is still with me; it hasn't changed a bit!"

"And you were sure he was dead? You verified that yourself?" he asked calmly, tapping his fingers together.

Her mouth snapped shut. She hadn't checked to make sure Severus was dead. But it looked like he had died. His eyes had slid out of focus, his head had lolled to one side, and it looked like he stopped breathing. Everything looked like he had died. But she hadn't checked for a pulse or if his breathing had stopped. His horrific injuries looked like too much for anyone to overcome. But if she was there, with the time and the equipment to save him, she could have made a valiant effort to save his life. But she was now too late. If Severus wasn't dead when she left the Shrieking Shack, it was now nearly an hour later and there was no possibility of him still being alive.

"Even if he wasn't then, he is now. My memories of him are the same. You sent me back to save him, but you put too much faith in me. I failed."

"Your memories were never going to change, Miss Granger. You remember everything that had happened because it already happened. There was never going to be any changing those facts."

"I don't understand," she whispered.

"Think, Miss Granger. What would have happened if you never came back here. If you stayed with Severus. He couldn't teach at Hogwarts, he figured out the same day you arrived who you were. And if he couldn't teach at Hogwarts, you would have no reason to return to him. It would never work out. Everything that happened to that point had to have happened to motivate you to do what you needed to do. Think of the reasons you went back to save Severus. Why you didn't even ask if you could save Fred, or Professor Lupin, or Sirius Black..."

"I felt sorry for him. He was never truly happy, anyone with eyes could see that. He had to serve two masters," she said with a scathing look towards him, "which hardly affords him the time to serve himself. If he had anything worth fighting for, he would have fought. Even if he had still been killed in the end, if he had a reason to fight he would have. Fred, Remus, Sirius... they died fighting. They died defending what they loved. Hell, both Fred and Sirius died with smiles on their faces. None of them wanted to go this early, I know that, but they would view their deaths as the way they wanted to go. Protecting those who are important to them, because they love those people. Fighting for what is right. Death, to them, is the next great adventure. To Severus, death seemed like a release. He had nothing here but more misery. He had just one more thing he had to do when he went, and that's why he gave Harry his memories."

"Severus has something to fight for now. You didn't know it in the Shack, but perhaps he was protecting something, or someone, he cares about."

"What was the point of sending me back to save him if I'm only going to return when it's too late?"

"It is hardly too late, Miss Granger."

"But he's already dea..."

Her hand had plunged into her bag before her brain fully finished her thought, coming up with the box Dumbledore had given her. Inside lay the only chance she had to save Severus. The Time-Turner. One Dumbledore must have hidden away before they had all been smashed during the fight at the Ministry, that had been sitting in the box awaiting the time she was ready to make the trip back in time. And that only could be after she had witnessed the horror of Severus' death. After she knew the truth, that her Professor was trying to help them. That he was unwilling to fight for his life. She needed the realization of how horrible of a hand Severus had been dealt. Her trip back in time hadn't just been to give Severus something to hold on to, or hints about how he would meet his end so he could prepare himself. It was also to give him someone who cared enough to help him. Because he was still going to be attacked in the Shack. And afterwards, he wouldn't be able to help himself. He didn't just need someone to love him if he survived the night, he needed someone who loved him enough to pick up the fight for him, to tend to his wounds, and get him to someone who may be able to save his life.

The top of the Pensieve started churning, and she knew Harry was about to return.

"He needs to make this journey on his own," Dumbledore called before disappearing from his frame.

Hermione stuck the chain of the Time-Turner around her neck and looked at the clock.

"Good luck, Harry," she whispered, forcing herself not to cry as she turned the tiny hourglass four times. She closed her eyes as she traveled through time, as the smell of smoke cleared from the air. She felt her feet settle on solid ground, and she tucked the Time-Turner back under her shirt.

"Miss... Miss Granger?" Snape asked behind her, and she spun around to look at him. He was sitting behind the headmaster's desk. Everything about the scene looked normal except the portraits were either asleep, or their frames were empty. Severus' hand still hovered over a piece of parchment as he stared at her in surprise. All her doubts about seeing him as an adult, and having the memories of how he treated her as a teacher vanished. She felt the same way about him in her time as she did when she left his.

"Severus," she whispered, wanting to go and throw her arms around him, but not sure how he would react. Instead, she started ringing her hands, and chewing her lip.

"What are you doing here?"

"Going back in time twice in... well, I guess it's only a few hours."

"So you...?" he trailed off.

"I just returned. And I can't apologize enough..."

"Don't," he cut her off, standing and coming around the desk, but not approaching her. "I don't want your false sympathies."

"Why would you think they're false?" she snapped, cheeks burning.

"You left me. You asked so much of me, and when I asked for you not to leave me, you ignored me."

"Do you think I wanted to?" she replied, a tear running down her cheek. "Don't you think I begged Dumbledore to try to change the spell? I couldn't stop it, I was bound by the magic of the spell."

They stared at each other for a long moment before she carefully continued.

"But knowing what I know now, I would have come back either way. I needed to come back. Staying would change too much. Our world needed us to get to this point. Harry needed us, both of us, to keep him on his path. If I had stayed, we would have to run, to hide. You would never become a teacher, because I couldn't risk you seeing me as a young girl starting at Hogwarts. You wouldn't have begged _him_ for Lily's life, and he never would have given Lily the opportunity to stand aside. I don't know if that would have diminished the sacrifice she made for her son, but Harry might have died that night. You wouldn't have been there to turn spy. You're too valuable to this war to take out of the equation. And, of course, if I hadn't met you as my teacher, what motivation would I have to come back? I hate that I hurt you. I hate what I did to you. If you never forgive me, I'll understand why. But I had to do what I did."

"What do you expect of me, Hermione?" he growled.

"Not a damn thing. I'm not your master, Severus. I will not tell you what to do or how to feel. I won't even hold you to your promise, because I want whatever ending comes of this to make you happy."

"Is that promise going to be tested soon?" he raised an eyebrow.

She opened her mouth, but a sharp rasp on the door cut her off.

"Quick," he hissed, striding towards her and grabbing her elbow. He dragged her across the room and shoved her into a corner. She felt his wand jab into her ribs, and the trickle of a Disillusionment charm covering her. She stood as still as possible as he made his way back to the desk.

"Enter!" he barked, dropping into the chair and writing on the parchment as if he hadn't moved at all.

"Snape," a Death Eater Hermione didn't recognize entered the room, panting and harried-looking. "There's been a disturbance in Hogsmeade. Someone out after curfew. Aberforth says it was him, but Lourdis swears he saw Potter's Patronus."

"What was it?"

"A stag. Barman claims it was a goat."

Severus snorted. "No one has summoned the Dark Lord."

"We've got to find him, first."

"He's most likely gone."

"What do you want us to do? Should we start to protect Hogwarts?"

"Hogwarts is protected enough. Stay in the village. Make sure he's gone. And woe become the fool who summons the Dark Lord without Potter secured. They've slipped out of so many situations to this point, you'd better make sure he's unable to move, and the other two are dead before anyone tries summoning him. My guess is he was taken by surprise by the security measures in the town, and they moved out at the first opportunity."

"Whatever you say," the man grumbled, then turned and left. Severus stood and strode across the office to the window, and waited for a few seconds to make sure he was gone, then lifted the charm off Hermione.

"Are you in the castle?" he asked, looking out the window.

She glanced at the clock. "If we aren't yet, we're in the tunnel on our way in." She was surprised at how easily the words flowed from her mouth. Had she not trusted Severus completely, she wouldn't dare give any hint on their position, or at what might be coming.

"How? The tunnels are all blocked off."

"There's one from the Hog's Head to the Room of Requirement. It'll be crawling with Order members before too long."

He stared at her in surprise, and nodded once.

"How is your mission going?" he whispered.

"There's a reason we're back. But before too long it'll be down to the snake and Vol... _him_ himself," she caught herself, not wanting the Taboo to alert someone to someone in Snape's office saying the name.

He took a deep breath and straightened up. "Do you think it'll end tonight?"

"Yes. Though I can't tell what the final outcome will be."

"You left in the middle?" his eyes widened.

"Yes. I had to. Nothing is guaranteed, not even the next few hours. I was given the opportunity to go back, and I took it immediately. Though, to tell the truth, Dumbledore never told me what was going to happen."

"You blindly took Dumbledore's orders?"

"It wasn't an order so much as encouragement. And yes. I did. He seems to be good at getting people to do that."

He closed his eyes and sighed. Cautiously she walked up to him, brushing her fingers against his, and to her surprise, his moved to hook around hers. She looked at their linked digits, and up at him to find he was looking as surprised at their contact, as though his fingers had moved of their own accord.

"What can I do to help you?" he whispered.

"Remember your promise. And help Harry. You'll know when."

"Ten minutes ago I still would have told you to fuck that promise. I don't owe anyone anything."

"No, you don't. We owe you so much. And I promise I'll pay it back and more, in any way I can."

"Why? Why would you do that for me?"

"That's what someone does when they love someone else."

"Love," he scoffed.

"You didn't believe me when I said it?"

"That was twenty-two years ago!" he hissed.

"It was twenty-two minutes ago for me," she replied evenly. "You've been watching me since I was eleven. Do you think I would lie to you about something like that? That I _could _lie about that? You probably know better than anyone I'm pants at lying."

His eyes met hers, and confusion filled his orbs.

"I don't want or expect any declarations or anything else from you right now, Severus. You need to make your own choices. But I'm not going to lie when I say I hope you pick me. Because I didn't lie. I want you. I want to be with you. It'll take work and determination on both our parts to make it through this, and Merlin knows even if we do, our relationship isn't going to be easy going. But I do want to make a go of it.

"So many years ago we both asked, at one point or another, to tell each other if we were finished with what we had. I'm not, but I will accept if you are. And you don't need to make a decision right now. It's really not a good time to be making life-altering decisions right now. And it won't stop me from fighting to make sure you can freely make that decision."

"Why would you want to be with me?" he asked softly.

"For your rapier wit and pleasant personality, I suppose. Couldn't have anything to do with having fallen for you," she replied, with a cheeky grin.

The corner of his mouth tugged upwards for a second.

"Would it be crass of me to offer another serenade if you make it through this?"

"You hated that the first time," he pointed out.

"I like what it got me by the end of the day."

"What was that?"

"Something I didn't know I wanted until the moment I got it," she muttered, then she reached up to touch his face, and drew him down to her. Her lips met his, and he was hesitant for the first few seconds, but soon he was kissing her back furiously. He spun her around until she was pressed against the desk, both hands wound into her hair, locking her to him. It was every bit as intense as their first kiss, and she melted against him, gripping his robes tightly, afraid of the moment where they would have to let go.

Without warning he tore away from her, cursing and clenching his left fist.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

"Someone's summoning him. To the castle."

"The Carrows," she whispered.

"Do they have Harry?"

"No. I don't know the whole story, but they're both going to be at the top of Ravenclaw tower. Professor McGonagall is going to make sure they're unable to continue."

"He won't be in the grounds, then," Severus muttered. "Otherwise he'd kill them for calling him like that."

"You have to go," she encouraged softly.

"Where are you?"

"You don't need to worry about running into me. Ron and I are in the Chamber of Secrets."

He raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"We needed Basilisk fangs."

"What happened to the sword?"

"Harry traded it to a goblin."

"Really?"

"It has been an extremely long day."

"So that was you in Gringotts," he murmured, a look of amusement on his face.

"Yes. And before I went back, we had ridden across the bloody country on that damn dragon until we dropped into some frigid lake out in the mountains. And before _that_ I had to drink Polyjuice to turn into Bellatrix, which was completely disgusting. After all that, you were a walk in the park. At least I wasn't worried you were going to eat me."

"I didn't exactly make it easy on you."

"You know me, I love a challenge."

His fingers ran over her face, wiping away a tear she didn't know was running down her cheek.

"Do you remember the cupboard in the Potions classroom?"

She nodded.

"Do you remember the password?"

She nodded again.

"Good. I'll try to keep my promise."

She stood on the tips of her toes to give him one more lingering kiss. "I'll be there. I promise. I love you."

She closed her eyes as he swept from the room, and she shuddered as she heard the door slam behind him. The silence and empty feeling of the room started to close around her, and she reached up to swipe another tear from her face to find her cheeks drenched with tears. Sinking to the floor, she let the sobs overtake her, wanting to get all her emotions out so she would be prepared for the battle ahead.


	24. The Battle

**A/N: First, I want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed this story. Between this site and the other I post it to, it has become my most reviewed story ever, and I really appreciate everyone who takes the time to leave me a little note.**** I'm not done quite yet!  
**

**Any dialogue that seems a little familiar in this probably is. I borrowed a few lines straight from the book and/or movie. I am trying to keep it as canon as possible, so there was going to be some overlap, but I won't reprint the scene word-for-word.**

**Thanks again!**

There was a loud explosion nearby and dust trailed lazily down from the ceiling, coating everything in the office, but the sound had brought her back to reality. The battle was happening. How long had she been crying in that room? There was no time to think, this was the time for her to act. She opened the door, crept down the staircase, and looked out into the hallway. It was clear, and she ran down a couple flights of stairs, coming out on the first floor. There were fighters to her right, but no one had turned down her way yet. She would have to move cautiously. She thought quickly, at this point she and Ron were either on their way from the Chamber of Secrets, or heading to the Room of Requirement. Moaning Myrtle's bathroom was to her left, which was the quicker way, but she couldn't risk being seen by herself. So she turned right. Just as she was about to get to junction, she saw a figure in black in front of her, and she immediately shot a spell that way and the figure crumpled. She turned to see who it had been fighting, and saw Neville looking at her.

"Hermione?" he asked, looking confused. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with Ron?"

"I was," she said. "I mean… it's… I heard the fighting and thought I should get here."

"Not that I'm not glad you came, but isn't there something you guys really have to get done?"

"There's more than one," she admitted.

"What happened to your cheek? You had a pretty good cut on it earlier."

"Healing spell," she replied quickly.

"What's going on, Hermione?" he asked, looking concerned.

A spell shot over their heads, and they both ducked and turned towards its origin. Kingsley Shacklebolt was battling two hooded figured and getting backed into a corner.

"Come on," Neville said, standing, and starting towards the fight.

"I can't," she said, looking the other way down the hallway. "There's something I have to do."

"Hermione?" he called after her, but she turned heel and bolted. There was a tapestry that led back to the main route to the dungeons that Gryffindor students would often duck through, and she did so without a second thought. The further she got into the castle, the more deadened the sound of the battle became, and by the time she reached the door to the Potions classroom, she could only hear her own heavy breathing. She wrenched open the door and made a beeline towards the last table. Ducking underneath and reaching the much neglected cabinet, she touched her wand to it and whispered "Runespoor". To her relief it swung open.

Inside were several wax-sealed bottles with a silver potion inside, along with a flask of a yellowish green substance that was bubbling ominously. The substance was labeled 'Nagini', the potion 'antivenin'. She opened her bag and shoved all the bottles inside, but reminded herself to not use too much as antivenins often became toxic themselves in too high of a dose. Severus didn't leave any instructions, so she was going to have to make a guess and hope it was right. She was about to close the cabinet again when she caught sight of something shoved all the way in the back. Curious, she reached in and grabbed it, pulling out a large, dusty, faded envelope. She opened it carefully and tipped it. The first thing to slide out was a stack of old photographs. The top one was a photo of a young redheaded girl. It must have been taken shortly after she came to Hogwarts as she didn't look much older than a first or second year. She was smiling and surrounded by a few friends. Hermione was sure it was not Severus who took this picture, and there was a good chance Lily never knew he had somehow acquired it. The second was another picture of Lily, this time sitting in front of a Christmas tree, a few years later, possibly their last Christmas as friends. The third was shocking: a picture of herself the night of the Yule Ball, dressed up and looking impeccable, entering the ball clutching tightly to Viktor's arm. The final was most intriguing. Narcissa and Lucius were cuddling on the couch in the Slytherin common room, sipping drinks and obviously enjoying being the most important couple in Slytherin. She recognized it as the party she had attended, and wondered why Severus had bothered to keep such a photo from his school years when something in the background caught her eye. Seemingly oblivious to their surroundings, she and Severus were standing by the fireplace. Hermione watched herself reach up to touch his face. He responded by catching her lips for just a second. Then they both went back to their conversation. Hermione hadn't remembered a camera there, though possibly a flash, but she was sure that Lucius and Narcissa were not the reason why Severus kept this picture.

She stared at the picture for a long moment then carefully put the stack in her bag, pressed between the pages of Hogwarts: A History to keep it from getting bent. There was one more thing in the envelope, a couple pages of folded parchment. She carefully unfolded them, and immediately recognized the handwriting as Severus'.

_The Last Will and Testament of Severus Tobias Snape_

_I, Severus Tobias Snape, upon my likely death, do hereby decree that the following be done with my remains and possessions:_

_The executor of my estate is hereby named to be Hermione Jean Granger. She is free to make whatever changes she sees fit to this will._

_In the event that Miss Granger is also dead, I assign executorship to any Goblin available at Gringotts, and decree that the points below be followed exactly._

_Cremate my body and dispose of it in the Forbidden Forrest. Or wherever Miss Granger deems fit, as the thought of dumping me in the Forrest is probably ghastly to her. No theatrics, please, Miss Granger._

_My home in Spinners End can be burned, blown up, Vanished, I do not care, it is barely fit for human habitation, and I would wish it upon no one. I have moved anything of value from it, so destroy it at once._

_My library, notes, and personal potions stores and ingredients are all to be taken by Miss Granger. Should she not find need for any of these things, she may return them to Hogwarts._

_Any personal effects in good repair may be donated; all others will be disposed of._

_My Gringotts vault will be transferred to that of Miss Granger in its entirety. In the event that she does not have a personal vault yet, my vault will become her vault, and she can do with its contents as she pleases._

_I do hereby swear that the above are my final wishes, and that I make this will of strong and competent mind. A copy of this will has been filed with Gringotts._

_So proclaimed this 19__th__ day of September, 1993._

_Signed,_

_Severus Tobias Snape_

_Witnessed,_

_Nagnok_

_Director of Final Affairs_

_Gringotts, London_

Attached to the will was another piece of paper, also signed and stamped to be official and that contained only one sentence:

_In the event of my incapacitation, I hearby grant Hermione Jean Granger the power to make all medical decisions for me._

Below the formalities he had scrawled, clearly with a different sized quill in an ink that didn't look as old as the will.

_Personal addendum: If you are reading this copy, you are most likely Miss Granger. If not, please make sure she gets this message; if she's still alive. I would not be surprised if no one had the intelligence to figure out how to open a cabinet door for two hundred years or so._

_I apologize for not being able to fulfill my promise made so many years ago. I did try, but sometimes promises must be broken. I did not forget. Thank you._

Hermione swiped at the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "Not today, Severus," she said, shoving the will into her bag, warding it, and running from the dungeon. She placed a Disillusionment charm on herself as she ran; there would be no way for her to get out of the castle without being spotted otherwise. The battle was raging, but she only paused long enough to shoot a few spells before emerging onto the grounds and running for the gate. It had been broken open by trolls, so she didn't even have to slow down. Her lungs were straining in protest as she ran along the lane to Hogsmeade. She lifted the charm as she came upon the village. The Caterwalling Charm was sounding loudly, but no Death Eaters came. The Dementors had all gone to the castle in search of easy prey. People were streaming out of their homes and shops, wearing their night clothes. Most started towards the castle, several others turned towards the other side of the town to help with the growing number of scared and confused looking students who were congregating in large groups and watching the spells flying through the air in the distance in wide-eyed awe.

Still under the Disillusionment charm, she turned down the narrow lane leading to the Shrieking Shack. The chaos had emptied the street, so no one could see the rustle of leaves as she ducked into some of the overgrown brush. She made sure there was no one watching her as she made to enter the shack, with wand aloft. Expecting a strike at any moment, she crept through the decrepit lower level, finding the stairs that still had, she realized with a pang of sadness, a faded paw-print pressed into the inch or so of dust. She cast a silencing spell on the stairs, not trusting them to not creak as she ascended, and about halfway up she froze in place. Voldemort was sweeping about the room above her, Nagini floating in a protective bubble never more than arm's length from him.

"And I do not need to seek Potter," Voldemort was hissing, his voice sounding halfway between English and Parsel-tongue. "Before the night is out, Potter will come to find me."

Voldemort paused, staring at the wand in his hand, looking concerned. "Go and fetch Snape," he ordered, and suddenly Lucius Malfoy took a step forward, coming into view. He looked awful, terrified, and exhausted, but she felt it was less than he deserved.

"Snape, m-my Lord?" Malfoy asked in a trembling whisper.

"Snape. Now. I need him. There is a –service- I require from him. Go."

Lucius stumbled from the room, and Hermione pressed herself against the rail as he leaned against the wall in support as he tripped down the stairs. She thought he felt him bump into her backside, but if he had, there was no indication he noticed it. He moved shakily towards the front door, and seconds later, there was the sound of him Disapparating away.

"It is the only way, Nagini," Voldemort mused aloud, and he sunk onto a chair.

Hermione stayed, crouched on the stairs despite her legs starting to protest. Her mind raced as Voldemort mused in Parseltongue mere feet from her. She didn't recognize the protective bubble Nagini was in, and even if she did, she didn't dare attack it. Unless she knew exactly how to destroy the bubble and kill the snake with the same spell it wouldn't be worth it, and even if she did, she'd have Voldemort to contend with. Getting into a fight with him would be impossible to win, and would get her killed before she did what she was crouching in that dingy, run-down shack to do.

Too soon there was the sound of someone Apparating outside, and her stomach dropped as she realized who it must be. The door opened, and Severus managed to make it to the bottom of the stairs without making a sound. He paused, looking down, as if he knew what was waiting for him. He ascended the stairs slowly, eyes still downcast, until he came to the stair she was standing on. She realized then that she had forgotten to destroy her footprints in the heavy dust, and Severus would easily have spotted where she was standing due to the number of footprints. As slowly as she could, she stood straight, trying not to make a sound. He looked upwards, eyes following her body as if he could see her. She involuntarily drew in a breath as his dark orbs, that she remembered so clearly, paused on where her face would be as her body was half-turned to watch him. His head turned to watch the spot until he was past her. It was held high and resolute as he entered the room where the Dark Lord stood in wait.

Her heart thumped so loudly in her ears that she couldn't hear what was being said, but she couldn't help staring at Severus. And she realized something. Whenever Voldemort's back was turned his finger would jerk, pointing from where she was to a spot on the other side of the landing. He was positioning her, telling her to move out of the line of fire. Carefully, she crept up the rest of the stairs, hardly daring to breathe and obliterating her footprints as she went. She pressed herself as far into the rickety bannister as she dared, hoping that if Voldemort came her way, he wouldn't bump into her. She froze, transfixed at the interaction for what felt like hours, when Voldemort raised his wand, and she knew it was about to happen. Severus raised his wand as well, but she noticed the tip wasn't trained on the Dark Lord, or the snake. It was pointed just behind Voldemort, at her, poised to prevent her from doing something to give herself away.

Voldemort brought down his wand, and the bubble containing Nagini inched forward. Remembering what was going to happen, and not wanting to witness it again, she screwed her eyes shut, and bit her lips together to prevent herself from making a noise. She cringed as she heard Severus yell, heard Voldemort hiss, and heard the snake strike.

"I regret it," Voldemort's cold, lying voice cut through the air. There was the thud of Severus' body hitting the floor, and a second later, Voldemort came within inches of her as he swept from the room, Nagini trailing behind him.

Steeling herself for the sight she was about to see for the second time, she entered the room, moving along the walls, behind the chair where Voldemort had sat, coming to a stop behind herself as Harry was bent over Severus.

"Take… it… Take… it…" Severus managed to gurgle out.

Hermione watched herself conjure up a flask with a shaking wand and hand it to Harry, who lifted Severus' memories into it.

"Look… at… me…" he demanded, and Hermione watched as he gazed into Lily's eyes once more. Then he did something she didn't notice before, might never have noticed had she not been watching so closely and intently, her eyes not obstructed by tears as they had been the first time she witnessed this scene. Severus' eyes appeared to slide out of focus, but she realized they were not un-focusing, but rather re-focusing on a figure… her figure, the one standing right in front of her. He studied her face one last time before he went limp.

She kept her eyes on him as she, Harry, and Ron left back through the secret passageway. The moment they disappeared, she rushed forward, feeling the Disillusionment charm lift itself as her body prepared to use as much of her magic as it could to save Severus' life. First, she pressed her fingers to the pulse-point on his wrist. It was faint, but there, and there was a soft gurgling sound as he struggled for a breath. Somehow she managed to find the antivenin in her bag, and she poured two phials worth into his mouth then wrapped her arms around his shoulders, feeling his blood soaking her shirt, as she lifted him up to force the antivenin down his throat. Some trickled out the wound in the side of his neck, so she put in one more phials' worth. Then she drew her wand, repeating the sing-song chant Severus had taught her a long time ago to close her fanged geranium wound. The wounds started to close, but there got to be a point where they refused to heal any more. She fetched the Essence of Dittany from her bag and started dabbing it onto him, but even then, the wounds were still oozing blood slowly. She wrapped each of the wounds as tightly as she dared, considering they were mostly on his neck and upper torso. When he was bandaged, she conjured up a stretcher, moved his body onto it, and covered him with the blanket she had huddled under on so many cold nights while she was on guard duty.

"Sorry, Severus, but I don't trust you to survive," she murmured, pulling another couple phials of potion from her bag. The first was a pain potion, which she gave a couple minutes to take hold before she gave him a blood-replenishing potion, which caused bright crimson spots to appear on the bandages. She pressed her fingers to his pulse-point again. It was still weak, but markedly stronger than the last time. Finally, she gave him a revival potion. Seconds after taking this, he stirred feebly, a string of incoherent words liberally interspaced with curses flowing from his lips before he turned his head again and seemed to pass out from the pain.

"Close enough," she muttered as she found his pulse to be even stronger. She carefully maneuvered the stretcher down into the passageway, and half-ran behind it as she made her way back towards the castle. The trip through the passage seemed to take ten times longer than she remembered, but finally she was ascending towards the Whomping Willow. She cast a warming charm on the area around the exit, praying it would hold until she returned. She gave Severus one more phial of antivenin then secured the stretcher to the wall.

"I have to get back," she told him as she made sure he was covered and added some bandages to the top of a few that had soaked through. "They're going to notice I disappeared if I don't. But I will return for you. I promise. If you could talk right now, I'm sure you'd say something snarky about how you doubt I have the abilities to stay alive that long. You just better hope I do, because I think I've done enough to keep you alive for several hours, which isn't going to be pleasant, but even more so if I don't come back, so if you're in there, just remember that you didn't want to die in here before, so it would be really sticking it to Sirius if you didn't die in here now," she added, hoping he heard it and it gave him the motivation to hold on if she had a long time before she could return.

Finally she found herself with nothing left to do but leave and try to get back quickly. She placed her hand on his, squeezing the thin fingers tightly. "I love you. I'll be back," she promised, and she kissed his forehead and moved quickly through the exit, sparing one glance back as the base of the tree snapped shut.


	25. Not Over

She stared in shock at the spot where Voldemort's crumpled, broken body lay. For a long moment, the silence was deafening. The crowd was trying to decide if they could believe their eyes; if it really was all over; if they had really won.

And then the silence broke as the crowd rose up in celebration as one. The celebration would be short-lived; there were bodies to attend to, wounds to heal, and deaths to mourn. Soon the realization that some of the most important people in their lives that now lay dead would hit, but for that moment celebrations were in order, the cheers were cathartic, with the relief sweeping over them like a wave. But it didn't overtake Hermione, a fresh surge of adrenaline coursed through her as she knew it was now time for her to go do what she needed to do.

"Hermione," Harry rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her, but the hug was shorter than he expected as she pushed hard on his chest to break free.

"I'm sorry, Harry, I have to go!" she breathed, looking into his face as the terror and excitement of what lay ahead for her took over.

"Hermione!" he called after her, grabbing her sleeve, but she broke free. She pelted through the revelers, pushing a few out of the way, before making her way out of the Great Hall. The courtyard was covered in rubble, and her trainer slipped a few times as she vaulted over some of the larger pieces, trying to ignore the bodies as she passed.

"Hermione!" She heard Harry calling her name as she made it through the gate at the far end of the courtyard. He must have been held up by well-wishers, and she wasn't willing to stop. Instead, she ran through the grounds, passing a fallen giant and several dead Acromantula. She tripped on a Death Eater's mask, but she didn't stop to look to see whose it was. She just kept running, her lungs straining, until the Whomping Willow came into view. She pointed her wand, casting a silent immobilizing charm, and ran under the still branches, kicking the knot to open the secret passage and jumping in. Severus was where she left him, looking paler than she remembered, his bandages blood stained and his body immobile. She stopped dead for a split second, terrified that she might be too late. Cautiously, she approached him, fingers reaching for his wrist. It took some pressing, but she felt the soft push of his pulse against her fingertips, and there was an almost imperceptible rasping sound as he sucked in a breath.

"Oh, thank Merlin," she sighed in relief, but knew things weren't over yet. She placed more bandages on top of the old ones, poured another phial of blood replenishing potion down his throat, and ignored the bright red blossoms that erupted on the fresh bandages as the potion worked.

She put another blanket on him, tucking it tightly under him, and kissed his forehead again. "I'm going to get you out of here," she whispered. "It's over. We won. Voldemort is dead." She hoped he had heard, and it would give him something to hold on to as she carefully moved the stretcher out of the hidden passageway.

"Hermione!" Harry was close as she started moving towards the castle, levitating the stretcher in front of her, but not daring to run. "What's going on? Is that Snape?"

"Yes," she said, as he started jogging next to her.

"He's alive?"

"Only just."

"How did you get all the way to the Shrieking Shack? You just went down there!"

"It's a very long story, Harry, and I promise I'll tell you everything as soon as I know he's being taken care of."

"What can I do?" he asked without hesitation.

"Come with me, I might need your help."

The trip back up to the castle seemed to take years, but eventually they were walking back in the main entrance, following the sound of McGonagall's authoritative voice towards where Healers from St. Mungos had set up a triage center and were tending to people's wounds.

"Potter! Granger!" McGonagall barked as soon as she caught sight of them. "What were you thinking, running out of here like that as soon as things were over? You had us all worried things weren't..." she trailed off as she saw the stretcher, and a bit of color drained from her face. "Is that Severus?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," Hermione said quickly. "He needs to go to the hospital."

She looked conflicted.

"Professor, he was on our side," Harry said quickly. "I wouldn't have been able to defeat Voldemort if it weren't for him."

"Oh, all right," she sighed before turning to the nearest Healers. "Devins! Crawford! We have an urgent case here."

The two Healers came over, and looked down in surprise at the stretcher.

"What happened?" Devins asked.

"He was attacked by Voldemort's snake," Hermione managed between pants. "Most of the damage has been centralized to his neck and upper torso. I've given him three phials of antivenin, two of blood replenishing, and a revival potion. I've put three sets of bandages on, he keeps bleeding through. I've got more antivenin here," she added, reaching into her bag and shoving several of the phials at him. "I did my best to close the wounds, but they won't close all the way. Tell the Healer-in-Charge that it is like what happened to Arthur Weasley three Christmases ago."

"Yes, Miss Granger."

"Can I... Can I go with him?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Granger. Right now there's a massive influx of new patients, and we can only take those who need medical help we can't perform here. Considering you have no real standing with him..."

"As he trusted me to make all medical decisions for him, I would think he wouldn't mind me being updated on his progress," she tried to sound authoritative, and hoped his desire to get out of there took over any fight he was willing to have over this.

"Proof?"

Annoyed, she pulled out the piece of paper and passed it in front of the stunned-looking Harry. The Healer glanced at it and handed it back to her. "Fine. We'll notify you as to his condition, and when or if you can visit him."

"Thank you," she called after them as they hurried the stretcher through the crowd of people in the Great Hall, made it to the fireplace, and disappeared in a flash of green.

Hermione took a few steps backwards and sunk onto a bench. She put her head between her knees and caught her breath.

"Come on," Harry said softly as she sat back up. "We need to find Ron and have a talk."

She nodded, and let him cover her with the Invisibility Cloak. They made their way carefully to the where the Weasleys stood, still surrounding Fred's body, and gently coaxed Ron away from his family. They moved through the castle, occasionally having to climb over rubble, through dark hallways filled with dust and debris where the only sound was the soft echoes of their shoes as they hit the floor. There was no longer a guard for the Headmaster's office, and as they ascended, they could feel the fatigue of the day growing in their bones and radiating through their bodies. By the time they opened the door, Hermione felt as though she could lay down on the first flat surface she saw and sleep for a month.

And then she heard the applause, which hit her like a close-by thunderclap. Every portrait was present, and each one was cheering loudly and clapping wildly. The sound started to dull in her ears and she sunk onto the desk trying to steady herself. She heard Harry talking to Dumbledore, and nodded when she was thanked and congratulated. But her mind was in London, in the Dai Llewellyn ward, wondering if they were doing their best to save Severus' life, or if they figured he was a Death Eater, and not worth saving.

"They're working hard on him, dear," she heard a female voice saying next to her, and she looked over to see Dilys Derwent smiling warmly at her.

"How does it look?" she asked, desperate for information.

"It's not pretty, but you did a fantastic job for him before he got there. I would think he has good odds, if he _wants_ to make it through, though he'll probably be out of it for at least a week or two."

"Thank you so much," she whispered. Behind her Harry was asking the portraits to clear out and spread the news, he wanted to talk to Hermione and Ron alone. The portraits did so, and a moment later, they found themselves alone. Harry immediately pulled them to him for a tight hug.

"Thank you," he said, squeezing them even tighter. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you two."

"I'm just shocked we all got through this, mate," Ron half-smiled.

"It is a small miracle."

"What made you go into that forest?"

Harry told them about Snape's memories, and about discovering he was a Horcrux.

"Let me guess, Hermione, you knew?"

"I had an idea," she admitted. "But I only knew for sure while you were learning yourself. I came up here to find you, and saw you were in the Pensieve. I talked to Dumbledore about my suspicions, and he confirmed them, and then convinced me not to go with you when you went into the forest."

"You were here?"

"Yes. I came up to stop you from doing something stupid and noble. Dumbledore stopped me."

"But you were gone by the time I got out. I couldn't be in those memories that long."

She sighed. "Yes, I was gone."

"Where?"

"It's kind of a long story."

As if it had been sent, a House-elf appeared with large, steaming mugs of hot cocoa, and a plate of sandwiches. It deposited the bounty on the Headmaster's desk and bowed deeply before disappearing again.

"I guess that's Dumbledore telling me to get on with it," she muttered, taking a sandwich and a mug as Harry and Ron stuffed as much as they could in their mouths. "I was in Hogwarts, twenty two years ago, trying to save Sev... Snape's life."

"What?" the boys asked in unison, food still visible in Ron's mouth.

"Dumbledore sent me back," she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out the box and the envelope containing Snape's will and the picture of them together at the party. She placed them on the desk between them.

"How? A Time-Turner? I thought they only go one way," Ron asked after swallowing.

"It's some kind of magic that I'm sure Dumbledore invented and I'm the only other person who has witnessed it working. As soon as I opened the little box, I was taken back, dropped into this office without a clue as to what I was to be doing, and had to work things out from there."

"And you were doing it to save _Snape?_"

She carefully told them about her conversation with Dumbledore's portrait, and why she had chosen to accept the mission. She gave them a quick outline of her plan, how she had planned to befriend Severus, make him feel as though being a Death Eater wasn't his only option, and try to push him to realize he needed to make an antidote for Nagini and keep some for himself without telling him exactly what was in store for him.

"So you had to go all the way back to when Snape was a teenager at Hogwarts to do this? Why not go right before Dad was attacked? That way the antidote would have been ready, and he still would have been able to save some for himself."

"Do you honestly think he would have taken me seriously at that point? I had to do it when he was still young, before he became a Death Eater caught up in everything Voldemort had told him, and before he had truly given up. And I had to go back to that time for myself. Because I wouldn't have ever tried to befriend a young Death Eater, nor would I ever try to befriend Severus when he was my Professor. It had to be when he was young and I could relate to him. The time frame was as much for my benefit as his."

"But you didn't do what you wanted," he pointed out. "Snape still became a Death Eater."

"He was always going to be a Death Eater. I knew because he already had been. I didn't understand at the time I went back that I wasn't going to be able to change anything I remembered about him. It had to happen to get me to the point of going back. Had anything happened differently, I wouldn't have gone back, and Severus would be dead in that shack right now."

"But you have a Time-Turner!" he shouted, pointing excitedly. "We could go back and save Fred!"

"Ron," she whispered, tears misting her eyes. "He's gone."

"But why can't we? Why can't we just flip that a few times, and save him?"

"We were there. How are we supposed to save him without seeing him, and if we did save him, what motivation would we have for going back?"

"But we saw Snape die..." he protested quietly.

"No. We saw him attacked. He wasn't dead. If he had been killed even I wouldn't have been able to save him. As soon as we walked out, I was working on him. Any more of a delay and he wouldn't have made it. Fred... it was different with Fred. He went quickly."

"But we could try," he whispered, choking back a sob.

"I'm sorry, but it wouldn't do any good. We watched him die. We know he's gone. I want to go back. It hurts like hell that we can't. If we could, think of the lives we could save. Lupin and Tonks. Colin Creevy. So many died today. I want nothing more than to use the Time-Turner to save them all, but we can't. They're gone. They're taking their next adventure. Severus wasn't gone yet. It was the only way I could save him."

"And you needed that month in the past to do it? Was it really that important to befriend him?" Harry asked in a soft voice.

She caught his gaze for a moment before saying, "Yes. It was. He wouldn't trust anyone but a friend. And he wouldn't be motivated to save his own life if he thought everyone was going to treat him as a pariah or worse if he lived. He needed to know there was someone who cared about him and wanted to be around him if he survived, otherwise he had no reason to do what he did in preparation for his attack."

"So, you're Snape's friend now?" Ron asked, sounding disgusted.

She took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to tell them gently and minimize what she knew was going to be their horrified reactions. "Things may have changed since he survived, I intend to give him the choice when he's better, especially now that we're done with this blasted war, but before he went in that shack we were more than friends."

"What?" they shouted in unison.

"I would think that even you two would understand what I meant by that."

It was almost comical, the way they looked at each other in mirroring looks of shock and disbelief. In unison, their eyes returned to her, and she had to draw herself up to keep herself from running under their gazes, which were becoming increasingly angry.

"No," Ron was the first to find his voice again, and he repeated the word several times with different infections, each punctuated with a vigorous head shake.

"How..." Harry started, but the color was rapidly draining from his face, and the boy who had not an hour before vanquished Voldemort seemed too afraid to ask the whole of the question. Finally he managed to force the words from his mouth, though it was nothing more than a shaky whisper. "How much more than friends were you?"

She raised her eyebrows and bit her lip in response, and watched as Harry's color was replaced by a rather unflattering shade of green.

"You _didn't!_" Ron shouted, and Hermione looked around to make sure the outburst didn't bring a curious portrait in to overhear things.

"Yes, we did," she replied as evenly as she could. "I had not intended it to become anything more than just friends, however things progressed into something more, well, one might call it romantic for Severus, and as it progressed, we did what many teenagers do at that stage of their relationship. Had the situation not been that I was forced to go back shortly after things became that physical there's a good chance things would have really grown between us. As it is, I reckon that our physical closeness made him remember me when I returned to Hogwarts, and once I did, he realized why I had returned in the first place. He's smart enough to have figured out that I was back on some kind of mission, and that involved getting close to him for some reason, and that there would be no need if things in the near future were not in a state of war. I'm sure as soon as he knew that it was really me who was back in time and not my Mum or some other relation, he knew there was a good chance his death was approaching, and he made preparations. I know I gave him enough hints about the manner of his death, otherwise he wouldn't have left me so much of the antivenin..."

"Shut it!" Ron interrupted, looking overwhelmed. "Could you just give short answers for a bit so we can digest this?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, and she hoped he realized she meant it in more ways than one.

"Do you..." Harry asked in a shaky voice, the color draining from his face. He took a deep breath, and started again in a whisper, "Do you love him?"

"I do, but not as deeply as I could," she nodded slowly. "At least, not yet. I'm being cautious. He may want nothing to do with me after this."

"But you think you will?"

"If he'll let me, probably."

"Do you think he'll give you a chance?"

"People say and do a lot of things when they think they're not going to make it the night, but he certainly seemed to be leaning in that direction."

"I need to get out of here," Ron muttered, standing up and striding out of the room.

"Ron," she cried, jumping up, but Harry grabbed her sleeve.

"Let him go," he said, shaking his head. "This is a lot for us to take in, and he's probably going to be upset about it for a while."

She looked as if she still wanted to run after him, but decided to sit back down instead.

"He's fancied you for a long time."

"I fancied him, too, Harry," she replied, gripping her cocoa so she had something to calm her hands. "Even when I went back I fancied him. I realized when I was back there that he's not what I need, and I'm not what he needs."

"I'm not disagreeing with you there," he said with a half-hearted attempt at a smile. "I was worried what would happen once you two finally got along with things. It seemed like a few times a year you'd row and stop talking to each other for days or weeks. What if you two were a strong couple for a while, and then something happened and you broke up? You're both my best mates, I don't know how I'd manage a break-up or divorce between you two. At least now I know who to go comfort in the event of a breakup. Snape may be a hero, but he's still a gigantic git."

She laughed. "Some things never change."

He smiled, but his face quickly fell. "When you were back did you see...?" he trailed off, looking nervous.

"Yes. I spoke to both your mother and your father," she replied, placing a supportive hand on his arm. "I could give you the memories, once I know the spell."

"The only thing I've got to see of them is through Snape's memories, and it wasn't very flattering to my father. Was he really as bad as Snape made him out to be?"

"No," she said quickly, shaking her head. She moved closer to him, and placed her hands on his arms, looking him in the eye. "I was back there to make friends with Snape, so I'll admit I was not overly friendly with them, the Marauders in particular. But Sirius seemed to have a bit of a thing for me..."

"Really?" he asked, looking bemused.

"I think at first I was a novelty, someone who was there for a short time, and therefore not someone he'd have to make any kind of commitment to. But I think it quickly turned into a contest of sorts. I was showing an interest in Severus, and Sirius was trying his hardest to steal me away from him. Snape didn't trump up their rivalry, it really was that bad, and I don't think Sirius had much interest in me in particular, just me as Severus'. Had I turned him down and stayed away from Severus, I might have piqued his interest because I turned him down, but it would have gotten boring and he would have given it up quickly. He just didn't want Severus to have something he had even a passing interest in, so he tried his hardest to steal me."

"Too bad for him you are not easily swayed when you set your mind to something. But my Mum and Dad?"

"Your dad was there supporting Sirius every step of the way. He was funny and charming in his own way, and had it been anyone else I was sent there to help I think I would have felt easier spending more time with him, but to be honest nearly all our conversations were around the other Marauders. The one time we spoke alone, I berated him for something he had done to Severus, and he seemed genuinely remorseful for his actions, though not enough to apologize to Severus. He was a good man, Harry, and he reminded me of you. In fact, the first time I ever met him I called him Harry. I wasn't really thinking, I thought I had run into you."

A look of sadness crossed over his face.

"Your Mum and I only really talked once. She tried to warn me about Snape. I found out about their friendship..."

"I knew they were friends," he interrupted. "She never forgave him after he called her a Mudblood. How did that go, by the way, with that written on your arm?"

"I covered it was a Glamour Charm and told everyone I was half-blooded, related to Fleur."

"The whole wizarding world and you chose Fleur?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Beauxbatons is close enough that it would be plausible I grew up in Britain and went there. Everyone bought it, no one had any clue I'm Muggle-born, which probably saved me a lot of trouble."

"Who else was there?"

"Lucius, Narcissa, Bellatrix, Avery, Crabbe and Goyle senior..."

"And you didn't kill any of them?"

"You'd be visiting a much older version of myself in Azkaban if I had. They technically hadn't done anything wrong at that point, or at least, anything wrong that I would have known about."

"That had to be rough."

"You have no idea," she smiled cautiously.

"Did he really leave you everything in his will?"

"Yes," she said, sliding the contents of the envelope onto the desk. Harry picked up the will and scanned it.

"Promise?" he asked, reaching the end.

"That he would _try_ to live."

"Only Snape would managed to leave an insult in his will," he said, placing the paper down, and picking up the pictures. The one she had left on top was the picture of them at the party, and Harry saw them without her having to point it out. He watched as they kissed twice. "I don't think I've ever seen him smile like that. I've seen him smile, but there was always something malicious behind it, something dark, like he wasn't truly happy. But the way he smiled at you in this picture... you meant a lot to him. Do you really think it's going to work now?"

"I hope. But it's up to him. The war is over. He's free. He may want to run as far as he can as fast as he can, and not look back. I may not be part of his plans for the future, if he had any."

"You know I'm not a fan of him, but I want you happy. And if it takes you being with Snape, you should fight for him."

"I will," she nodded. "If there wasn't some kind of feelings on my part I probably wouldn't have had the energy or the drive to save him. I'm feeling so physically, mentally, and magically drained right now, I don't think I'd be able to summon a toothpick."

"You are an amazing person, Hermione. Whoever you wind up with will be a lucky man."

"Thanks, Harry," she said, hugging him tightly. "You may want to look at the other pictures in that stack."

He flipped to the next one, which was the one of her at the Yule Ball. "You looked breathtaking there, Hermione. I think even Malfoy was watching you like he wanted to ask you to dance."

"Somehow I don't think it would have worked out," she chuckled as he flipped to the next one. His breath hitched for a moment, and he ran his fingers over the picture of his mother. She watched as he ran his fingers over her face, smiling sadly down at her.

"She was with me," he whispered. "In the forest, when I went to face Voldemort, and thought I was going to die. You know the stone was in the Snitch. I got it out, used it, and she came to me. With my dad, Sirius, and Lupin."

"They've always been with you, Harry."

"You knew I was a Horcrux. That's why you were up here?"

"Yes."

"You weren't going to let me go by myself, were you?"

She shook her head.

"I never wanted anyone to die for me, Hermione, but I'm really glad you were too concerned about saving Snape to come with me. I don't know if I would have had the strength to finish things without you."

"I'm just glad you're okay, Harry," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him. They hugged tightly for several minutes.

"What are we going to do now?" he asked as they broke apart.

"Right now?" she smiled. "I'm going to try to find Dylis Derwent, and see if she has any news. Then I want to go see if McGonagall or Madam Pomfrey could use me for anything. Severus taught me the charm that counters _Sectumsempra, _which closes all sorts of cuts. Then I need a rest."

"I'll follow you," he smiled, standing and offering her a hand. She stood and started out of the room. On the stairs down, she tripped, sliding down a few steps and hitting her head on the wall. She heard Harry calling her name as her vision first went fuzzy, then black.

**A/N: I couldn't finish this story without one last cliffie.**


	26. Aftermath

She slowly started to come to, but her body still felt worn and stiff, and she hoped that laying there a little while would lure her back into sleep. But before she even had a chance to work her way a little further under the comfortable blankets to try to block some of the light streaming into the room she realized there were voices, having a hushed conversation.

"I wonder how much longer they're going to sleep?" came Mrs. Weasley's concerned whisper.

"I am in no hurry to wake them," Professor McGonagall replied in a sympathetic voice. "Both of them are drained. And the amount of effort Miss Granger has to put into saving Severus... it's a wonder she didn't collapse earlier than she did."

"She can be quite stubborn," said a third voice, and Hermione realized Professor Dumbledore's portrait must be visiting whatever room they were in. "It took a great deal of mental, physical, and magical energy to get Severus to where he was, but she was quite determined to do whatever it took."

"That's what I don't get. Potter seemed quite convinced Severus was dead, as was Voldemort. How did Miss Granger know different?"

"She assured he was prepared for what was coming and made preparations for herself to help him, gave him the care he needed when the time came, and gave him reason to cling to his life."

"When?"

"How?" Molly asked, sounding as confused as McGonagall.

"I wonder, Minerva, if you remember a time when a student named Miss Puckle came to Hogwarts for around a month."

"Puckle...'' she said slowly, obviously trying to remember, then she let off a loud gasp. "Hermione Puckle!"

"_Hermione_ Puckle?" Molly whispered.

"I hardly remember her, she did not make much of an impression in my class, though I did hear stories of her doing quite well in Potions, and a duel between her and Severus in Defense. I had forgotten completely about her until just now, but... it's her, isn't it, Albus?"

"Yes, Minerva. I will answer your questions, but you must promise that it does not leave this room."

"Of course. Now, tell us how," she demanded.

"There was a point in the battle, after Miss Granger witnessed Severus being attacked by Nagini, that Mister Potter came to the Headmaster's Office to use the pensive. Miss Granger, who had come to the conclusion that her friend was a Horcrux some time ago, was afraid that Mister Potter's inevitable death was drawing near, and was determined to make sure he didn't die surrounded by Death Eaters without a friend. She informed me of her intent to with Harry, even though it would mean her own death."

Mrs. Weasley let off an affectionate noise and placed a hand on Hermione's leg.

"She did not know what would happen after, that Harry would be fine, and that she would not return the way Harry had, and so I tried to dissuade her to go. She did not take the information well, and brought up her distress at the deaths she had witnessed or knew about, Fred being prominent among them."

This time Molly's hand started patting as she sniffled to suppress a sob.

"Now, please permit me to start at, what for me, was the beginning of the story. You must imagine my surprise in nineteen seventy-six when, on a seemingly ordinary night, I went to my office to reply to some correspondence, to find a young woman standing there, looking as though she had been through a battle. Little did I know she had, she did not offer the information, and I figured it was best not to ask. She offered no clue as to how or why she got there, other than a single letter which told me she was named Hermione Puckle, though I had no idea if that was her true name, that she was there on a mission I must not ask about, that this mission would take exactly thirty-one days, and that I should trust her to do what she needed to do with minimal assistance.

"And so I helped her clean up, acted as though her visit had been planned for some time, and the staff, not knowing differently, was more than willing to go along. I did speak to Miss Granger twice more during her visit, when she became most distressed about what she was doing..."

"You keep saying mission," Molly interrupted. "What mission?"

"To save a life, dear Molly. Severus'."

"How was she supposed to..." she stopped, sighing. "Please continue."

"Miss Granger came at quite the opportune time. Severus was vulnerable, he had lost his best friend, and he was starting to align himself more with the Death Eaters in the aftermath. There was also an assignment regarding antivenins that Miss Granger convinced Severus to work on, thus laying the first big hint at what his future may have had in store. The two, in their time, became quite close, and I believe that was the key to saving Severus' life. That he knew what was coming and made preparations, that she was willing and able to work to save his life, and, most importantly, he wanted to live enough to give her what she needed to succeed in her quest."

"Hermione must really care for him if she worked herself to the point of collapse to save him."

"I think it is more than merely caring for him," McGonagall muttered.

"You think she loves him?" she whispered.

"Yes," Dumbledore replied. "She was quite upset upon her return, thinking it was too late. Neither one will admit it, especially Severus, but I am quite sure they both are taken with each other. It' will just take some time for things to grow between them. Neither is careless with their hearts."

Hermione smiled into her pillow. Severus would be quite stubborn, she didn't expect to hear him admit anything for a long time.

"How are they?" she heard Madam Pomfrey enter the room, the smell of rich Hogwarts food following her in. Hermione's stomach let off a traitorous growl.

"I'm sure Miss Granger will be quicker to admit she's been awake for the last few minutes if you let her know you have news of Professor Snape."

"You have news about Severus?" she asked, sitting up and shaking off a wave of dizziness as she did so. Looking around she saw she was in Gryffindor Tower. Harry was lying in the bed next to her, and the window overlooked the lake, so she guessed she was on the boy's side.

"Oh, Hermione!" Molly smiled and enveloped her in a tight hug. "How are you, dear?"

"Sore. Still tired. I have a bit of a headache, too. And hungry," she said, eying the tray of food carried by a house elf who was standing behind the Healer.

"And eager to hear news about Severus, which I will happily give you after I check you over. Then you may eat, as well," Poppy came forward.

"Do I need to be checked before I eat, too?" Harry's voice came from the bed next to hers.

"You're awake as well?" McGonagall asked, sounding surprised.

"I've been awake for a while. I was kind of hoping you'd shut it and let me go back to sleep," he admitted, smiling as a second house elf bounded forward with a tray laden with food and drink.

Madam Pomfrey clucked as she moved to Hermione's bedside. "Well, Mister Potter, you didn't collapse, so you are free to eat and get out of bed. Miss Granger, on the other hand..."

"Fell down half a flight of stairs," Harry finished helpfully.

"I did?" Hermione winced as Poppy ran a finger over a bump on her head.

"You collapsed, dear," Molly told her.

"While we were walking down the stairs."

"You over-exerted yourself, physically, emotionally, and magically. Your body finally gave out," Poppy was dabbing the sore spot with a cloth, which numbed the area. "You're going to need some rest, and I have a potion to help with the fracture. You'll be staying here for another two days at least."

"I fractured my skull?"

"Not badly. Harry got help quickly, so there was no other lasting damage."

"Oh, no," she groaned.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Severus kept telling me I must have experienced head damage to want to start seeing him before. If he finds out about this he's never going to be convinced I want to be with him of sound mind now."

Harry started laughing. "Don't worry, 'Mione, we're all thinking the same thing."

"Shut it, Potter," she smiled, throwing a pillow at him.

"Miss Granger," Pomfrey chastised, but there was a smile on her face.

"Can you tell me now what news you have about Severus?" she asked anxiously.

"He is stable. There was some damage to his spine, they're going to have to keep him asleep for about two weeks to make sure he doesn't do any more damage by moving. He also had some damage to his organs, which wasn't helped by years of neglect. He's in for months of physical therapy, but he should pull through."

"Thank Merlin," she sighed, leaning back against her pillow in relief. "When can I go see him?"

"When you've recovered," she smiled.

"So, two days?" she asked, sounding disappointed.

"Let's monitor you and see how it goes," she replied with a sympathetic smile.

She gave her two potions to drink, and excused herself, saying she had a full hospital wing full of patients to see. McGonagall left not long after, after giving Hermione a supportive pat on the leg. Harry chose to stay with Hermione, moving his tray of food to her bed after Molly left to be with her family.

"You scared the hell out of me, Hermione," he said, his mouth full of egg.

"How it was me who collapsed and not you is beyond me," she muttered.

"It must be because I am a big, strong..." he cut off as she shot him a look. "Well, that look is something you got from him."

"It's not easy to be that close to him and not have a little rub off."

There was a soft knock on the door, and they both looked over. A familiar face was peeking in the doorway.

"Jennae!" Hermione smiled wide, beckoning her in.

"Hermione," she came in and sat in a chair next to the bed.

"Harry, this is Jennae. She was my dorm-mate when I was back. Jennae, this is, well, I know it's obvious this is my best friend, Harry Potter."

"Nice to meet you," Jennae shook Harry's hand.

"So you've got all the good information," Harry smirked.

"Ah, it's been twenty-two years, and she was only there for a month. I remember some of it, but the details might be hazy."

"I can deal with hazy details."

She smiled. "How are you, Hermione? I heard you hit your head."

"I'll be fine. How are you?"

"I'm good."

"What have you been doing the last twenty-two years?"

"I've been working in the Department of Magical Transportation. I also got married, and I a beautiful little girl who started Hogwarts this year. She's fine, her father took her home from Hogsmeade when I came up to fight."

"Wow. Congratulations. Who's the lucky man?"

"Bertram Aubrey," she smiled. "And it's kind of your fault. Seeing how happy you were during your time with Severus, and how much it hurt you knowing you had to leave him... I kept thinking it would be nice to find someone like that. After you left I figured I should just go for it. We've been together ever since."

Hermione smiled. "What about Danielle and Selena?"

Her face fell. "Danielle moved not too long after we finished school. She went to America, away from all the drama. She married someone there, and has three kids. Selena..." she paused, swallowing hard. "Selena was killed by Yaxley. We both joined the Order after school, and while I gave them info about the Ministry she craved a little more danger. She took a job in a pub in Knockturn Alley. They figured out what she was doing, and killed her for it."

Hermione looked at her hands. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "She was very nice."

"It was a cause she believed in, that we both believed in. I honestly couldn't believe that someone as talented, passionate, and bright as you would disappear. I thought as soon as I joined the Order I'd see you again, or at least hear of you again. I was disappointed when I didn't get any news about you. I thought you had run, and it didn't fit who I thought you were. It was in your fourth year that I realized what was going on."

"Apparently I wasn't as unremarkable as I had hoped," she bit her lip.

"You had been in the news before then, obviously, but I thought you were your own daughter. But when they ran a picture of you at the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum everything clicked into place. Remember how you told me a long time ago you spent a term with an International Quidditch Player?"

She nodded.

"When I saw you with him I knew. It was so obvious I was surprised it took me that long."

"Blimey, Hermione, you really stink at the subtlety part of time travel, don't you?" Harry chuckled.

"What did you expect?" Hermione shot back. "The only other time I did it that wasn't for class I stole a Hippogriff and broke Sirius Black out. If Fudge had his head out of his arse for even a second he would have known the Ministry approved a Time-Turner for use at Hogwarts, and put two and two together. Bloody hell, Severus and Dumbledore damn near spelled it out for him and he still couldn't connect the dots. I consider it a win for my subtlety that I was apparently forgotten by most of the people I came into contact with back then, including the very same Professors I've been striving to impress for years."

"How long did it take Severus?" Jennae asked.

"According to Dumbledore? He knew the very first day I arrived."

"That had to be rough. Seeing someone who looked so much like James Potter and you all in one day."

"I cannot imagine what I've put him through in the last seven years," she said softly.

"He'll forgive you," she whispered with a smile, placing a supportive hand on Hermione's arm.

"I hope you're right," she muttered.

XXXXXXXXX

Two days later she was cleared to leave, and she took a shower and changed into fresh clothes that Ginny and Luna had brought for her. Harry offered to go with her to St Mungos, but she declined, not wanting him to worry about her reaction to seeing Severus again. It was just after noon when she entered the hospital, nervously approaching the Dai Llewyn ward.

"Can I help you?" a matronly healer asked without looking up from the chart she was writing on as she opened the door.

"I'm here to see Severus Snape," she replied.

"You're Hermione Granger," she said, jaw dropping.

"Yes. I am."

"I was told you have medical power for him?"

"Yes," she said, producing the paper.

"Thank you, Miss Granger. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to him."

The ward was more crowded than when Mr. Weasley had been a patient. About half the beds were filled, mostly with fighters from the Battle. Two had injuries she recognized as coming from Greyback. Several more looked as though they had giant spider bites. One she recognized as a Snatcher from Malfoy Manor. Each had the curtains drawn around their area so they couldn't see their neighbors. The last of these curtained areas was completely enclosed, and Hermione knew it must be where they were keeping Severus. The more well-known, and most-hated, patient got the most privacy. The Healer held the curtain aside and motioned Hermione in.

"Thank you," she whispered, stepping in but not looking at the bed until the curtain was closed. She took a few deep breaths to steel her nerves for the sight, and then looked up, her heart dropping as she did. The crisp white linens of the bed highlighted the ashen color of his skin, and the hospital gown he way lying in betrayed how thin he had gotten. The blankets were drawn to his chest, and his neck and upper chest were covered in thick bandages. He was motionless except the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Cautiously she approached and sat on the chair next to him. Afraid that she'd start sobbing if she opened her mouth she reached out and took his hand with hers. It was still coated in the dust, dirt, and blood of the shack. She sat with him for over an hour before a healer came in to check on Severus.

"Anything you need, dear?" she asked warmly as she finished up.

"Could I... Could I clean him?" she asked, motioning to the dirty hand.

"As long as you are very careful, and don't move his neck I don't think it'll be a problem. I'll fetch you a basin and some soap."

She retrieved the basin, soap, and a small bottle of shampoo, and left Hermione alone. Carefully Hermione cleaned both of Severus' arms, taking the time to make sure the dirt and blood was out from under his fingernails. She charmed his head into place and slid the pillow out so she could wash his hair, working her fingers across his scalp as she worked the lather in, then carefully rinsing with a stream of warm water from her wand. She dried his hair with her wand, slid the pillow back into place, and lifted the charm, watching his head sink slowly into the pillow. She vanished the water and cleaned the basin, then conjured a comb and started working it through his hair, telling him her story in a soft voice to break the silence of the area. She had combed about half his head when the curtain opened.

"There is someone else here to visit," the Healer told her.

"Okay," she said, putting the comb away and sitting back down.

"Hey," Ron whispered, coming slowly into the room.

"Hey," she replied, conjuring a chair next to her before putting the comb away. "What are you doing here?"

"I just brought George here. He's a wreck. I found someone he could talk to for a couple hours."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, tears brimming in her eyes.

"'s alright... well, no, it's not. But it'll be alright. Someday. It's going to take a lot for us to get over this, and I know you're hurting, too."

"I loved him, too. I know he's not my family, but you all feel like part of my family. I'm going to miss him immensely."

"I know. Mum wants you to come stay with us. She knows you were planning on going back to your house, but there's no one there. She doesn't think you should be alone. She's already got Harry coming to stay with us.'

"Tell her thank you. I'll be there a little later."

Ron looked from her to Snape. "This is real, isn't it?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"I was determined, coming in here, to fight for you. But now I don't want to. I don't want to fight for what isn't mine."

"I never meant to hurt you. If I had known in the Chamber..."

"I get it, Hermione. I'm not going to ask for you to justify or explain anything. You shouldn't have to. I just want to go back to what we were. I want to pretend like what happened in the Chamber never happened, and go back to being friends. Because I can't lose you, not totally, and I'm afraid things will get weird if we don't air this out sooner rather than later."

"Oh, Ron," she sighed, hugging him tightly. "This is the best outcome I could have hoped for."

He smiled sheepishly and took her hand. "How is he?"

"They're going to keep him unconscious for a few weeks, hoping his body will repair itself without his moving complicating matters. After that they say he's got a lot of physical therapy to look forward to."

"I'll be here for you. Through all of it. At least, until he wakes up and chases me off with some insult, threat, or both. Merlin knows he's not going to be easy to deal with through this."

"No, he won't be."

"But you're going to stick through it."

"You know me," she smiled.

"I do," he smiled, wrapping an arm around her, and pulling her to him. She relaxed against him, reaching out to entwine her fingers with Severus', and felt hope start to creep over her.


	27. Waking Up

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. RL kept beating me up the last few weeks, and I decided to step away from things for a couple weeks to get my head on straight. I'm back, and hopefully it won't take me too long to finish this story up. I could go on and on, I have so many ideas to extend this, but I think it would be good to start wrapping things up. Starting with the all-important reunion.**

**Thanks for sticking with me!**

"There's another visitor today, Miss Granger," the older Healer smiled as she pulled back the curtain.

Hermione sighed. 'Another visitor' was code for a new one, and she was starting to wonder who else could come to call. The nearly two weeks since the Battle had been a whirlwind of giving statements, attending hearings, mourning both in private and with her friends, and spending time at Severus' bedside. Her friends came to sit with her when they had time. George, who was getting near daily counseling, usually came to sit with her after. She would hold his hand or wrap him in a friendly hug, and few words passed between them. Even Neville and Luna had stopped by twice each, as had McGonagall and Hagrid, and most of her Hogwarts teachers had at least caught her in the Tea Room for a quick chat. She was staying with the Weasleys, and most nights she wandered into the room with Ron and Harry because she wasn't ready to wean herself from their constant comfort and friendship. They didn't see each other much during the day, so their presence around each other was mostly limited to nighttime, where they slept crammed into Ron's room. Severus had been making progress in his healing, his wounds no longer bled when his bandages were changed, occasionally a limb would move, and twice she heard him murmur something. She had gotten anxious for when they were going to take him off some of the potions, but didn't want to push anything, and followed the Healers recommendations, becoming friendly with most of them, especially Hippocrates, who kept her apprised of Battle survivors who were recovering and leaving the hospital.  
"Send them in," she said, straightening her hair and flattening her shirt.

To her shock Narcissa Malfoy glided through the curtain, eyes narrowing as she saw Hermione sitting close to Severus, her hand on his shoulder. She gracefully tossed her hair over her shoulder and drew the other chair close to the bed, and reached out to touch Severus' hand. They sat in uncomfortable silence for several minutes.

"I remember you," Narcissa said softly. Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but Narcissa continued. "From back then. I more remember how happy Severus was than your face, though the name was unique enough to stand out. I thought, perhaps, her daughter... but it was Severus' attitude that made me realize what was going on. He was never a happy man, well, apart from the time he spent with you and the other mu... girl. But he was quite angry after Draco started at Hogwarts. Draco complained about how much more surly he acted. He thought it was Potter, but when I heard your name again I knew. I debated telling anyone. I questioned Lucius, but he wouldn't have thought you important enough to remember. I had made a plan to go public with my suspicions, I let my prejudice towards your kind tarnish my vision. It was only after I made the appointment to have tea with Miss Skeeter that I realized what I was about to do. You were young, a third year at the time. I am not going to try to make myself seem better and tell you I gave a damn about your reputation. You were one of _them _and, to tell the truth, it will be some time before I fully accept that, don't look at me like that, attitudes held since birth don't change overnight. It was Severus I wanted to protect. You are not the only one who cares about him."

She stroked Severus' fingers, and Hermione didn't know what to say, so she stayed quiet. "He's Draco's godfather. I thought, perhaps, that encouraging him to be around children might make him thinking about having his own some day. That maybe it would inspire him to find a woman, one who would be good to him, to stop him pining for the two he had lost during our school years. It backfired horribly," she let off a soft chuckle. "The first dirty nappy and I think it cemented his desire to never have a child. But that doesn't mean he shouldn't be happy. He needs a good woman. One who will put up with his attitude and darker nature. You know what it takes, you've done it before. He really cared for you, he just never was good at taking time to let his anger over a situation ebb before acting. The day you left was the day he asked Lucius about joining the Death Eaters."

"I kind of figured I had a hand in that," Hermione replied in a whisper.

"He was on that path already, your departure merely gave him a reason to immediately join. I'm not sad he joined. He kept Draco alive. My family is all I have in this world. I could lose my money, I've lost my magic, but I have my family, and that's what I need."

"You lost your magic?" she whispered in surprise. She had testified at the Malfoy's trial two days prior.

"We found out just this morning, and the binding was performed just after noon," she nodded. "You and Potter were noble to put your reputations on the line for us. We will be grateful you have kept us out of Azkaban. But we were too close to the Dark Lord, and our assistance came too late, to avoid punishment altogether. Half the money is gone, I suspect you will be seeing some of it, though I am surprised it's only half. We will still never have to worry about money. But we've all lost our magic for five years. We only have enough to fly a broom or use the Floo. And, after six months adjusting to this new life, we will have to live two years with no help from the house elves. That gives them time to teach us how to use things like the oven, though they use magic in the kitchens, so this will be a process for all of us."

"I can help, if you want. I learned to cook without using magic, so it won't be hard for me to not use my wand."

"I'll consider it," she replied. "You have done a lot for us already, when you had no reason to..."

"You kept my best friend alive. Of course I had a reason."

"You had a reason to help me. Draco and Lucius..."

"I may not like either of them, but that's no reason to condemn them to Azkaban."

Narcissa swallowed, like she had a lump in her throat. "It was very kind of you, and we cannot thank you enough. I do not think Lucius would survive any more time in that prison."

They sat quietly a few more moments. Hermione studied the older witch, and realized how different she had looked even from their encounter at Malfoy Manor. There was little pride left in the woman sitting with her. No hope of a return to glory like she had with Harry held prisoner in her home. She wanted to say something to comfort Narcissa, but nothing came to her.

"You must care greatly for him. The Healer told me you have been here every day."

"Yes. I've left to go to hearings, and funerals, and of course I don't sleep here, but I make it a point to stop by at least a few hours a day."

"Do they expect him to wake soon?"

"They're starting to talk about taking him off the sleeping potion. I expect it will happen very soon."

"All that time here for a man who is asleep," she pondered. "You know how much he must care about you."

"I hoped, but I wasn't sure. He's been so unkind to me during my school years..."

"He was extremely angry with you. I'm sure it was just his way of trying to make you change your mind about your trip."

"If that's what he was trying to do, he didn't know me very well. It's exactly why I went back."

"I'm not surprised," she said with a ghost of a smile. "But he had to care for you. Severus didn't have much in this world. What he thought was worth something was even less. Those books are his pride. He was very careful about his selection. Lucius cares about price. To him, the more something costs, the more it must be worth. But Severus, who never had the means Lucius had, had to be more selective. He didn't just get the book because he was interested in the subject matter, he would research the book before purchasing. Look for the historical significance. To him it wasn't about first-run editions, or annotated by famous authors, or even in mint condition. It was about those that advanced knowledge. I would wager that he aspired to join their ranks at some point. He started serving so many different masters so early I don't think he allowed himself many aspirations. Those books... he wouldn't have left them to just anyone. He'd leave them to someone who he trusted to take care of them and cherish as much as he did. You would."

"That doesn't prove he cares about me. That just proves he knows my reverence for books. And he left them to the school if I didn't make it. If he cared about them why would he leave them where a bunch of idiotic first-years could get their hands on them?"

"First, most of his collection would only be fit for the Restricted Section, so that would limit the number of people who could get them. Second, they are rare and many are out of date. There are thousands of books in the Hogwarts library that don't get read on a regular basis, if at all. Lucius suggested they cull their collection once, but Dumbledore stood firm that even if a book is only read once a century that one time is worth keeping it around. Finally, the only other person I could name who has a reverence for books that would rival yours is Madam Pince. They would be in good hands with her."

"It still proves nothing more than he wants his books with someone who would respect them."

"Then wouldn't the very fact that you are in charge of his medical care be proof enough for you?"

"Maybe he thinks I'm compassionate to a fault, and I wouldn't let him suffer."

"I wouldn't. Draco wouldn't. I don't think any of his colleagues would. Instead he chose you. He wrote that will how long ago? It was certainly before you made your journey. Imagine what would have happened if he died before you returned? If you were approached by a goblin and told he left you everything and you had no idea why. Think what would have happened if he had passed when you still thought him a murderer. He trusted you even when you had every right to not care about what happened to him. Above all his friends, above his godson, he put everything, including his life, in your hands. He wasn't doing that because of your compassion, or your reverence for old books. He did it because he cares for you, and of everyone who has his best interests at heart you cared for him more than anyone even if it was only for a month. Part of him realized that, and he trusted you. He may not have admitted it out loud to anyone, let alone himself, but the will is the proof."

"I want him to care about me. But he's had so many troubles I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't run and hide as soon as he's well enough to leave."

"He'll stay if you ask him to. Severus is not a man who is used to having his options open. He'll be looking for some sort of direction, at least until he's fully healed."

"I don't want to be his master. I don't want him to only be with me because I told him to."

"He'll be with you because he wants to. But he won't be ready to be totally free. You'll have to wean him into the idea."

Hermione sighed.

"You will know. You are strong."

"Some days I wish I didn't have to be."

"Everyone feels that way at times. But we do what we must, though a little wine or strong tea can help immensely when things feel overwhelming."

Hermione looked at her, suppressing a smile. Narcissa Malfoy just offered her motherly advice. Her decision to go back hadn't just changed her life, it had turned it on-end. Narcissa stayed for about an hour, occasionally telling an anecdote about Severus, and inquiring about Andromeda. When it was about time for the Healers to come in to check Severus she bid Hermione good-bye with the offer of getting together for tea with Molly and Andromeda. Seconds after she left the healer-in-charge, Hippocrates Smethwick, came in and started doing the routine check. Hermione was on-edge, knowing that if it was Hippocrates rather than an assistant there was bound to be some news.

"This is going to be the last dose of the potion we're using to keep him asleep," he smiled at her as he scribbled a few notes. "We're going to try to see if he wakes up on his own in the morning, if he's not up by tomorrow afternoon we'll try a revival potion."

"What are the chances he'll need it?" Hermione asked, sounding concerned.

"Honestly? I think he'll wake up. You did an excellent job before he got here, the damage wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. I'm confident he'll get up on his own."

"It wouldn't be like him to need help," she murmured.

"Have you ever thought about becoming a Healer?"

"Not really. I don't like blood."

He laughed. "Luckily for Severus you didn't seem to mind it that night."

"You do what you have to," she replied. So far her official comment as to why she was authorized to make Severus' medical decisions had been 'no comment', though she told the Healers it was something to do with the Order. They accepted her answer, though she was sure most of them suspected the truth.

"Would you like to stay here tonight?"

"Could I?" she asked.

"We're down to three on the ward. I think we could push the next bed over a bit," he winked with a fatherly smile. "It would probably be best for him to have someone he knows here when he wakes up, I have a feeling he's not going to be exactly pleasant when he's back with us."

"I don't doubt he's going to be a handful. I'll try to keep him in check," she smiled.

He opened the curtain and moved the next bed over, then closed the curtains around them, then gave her one more smile before leaving. Hermione touched her wand to her button-up shirt, changing it to a t-shirt, and took off her shoes and belt, laying them on a table before climbing into the bed next to Severus'. She smiled as she looked over at him, and let sleep take over.

XXXXX

He felt someone's hand on his wrist, two fingers checking his pulse, and fought the urge to snatch his hand away. Instead he slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times until the room came into focus, and saw a young Healer jotting something on a chart by his bedside.

"Welcome back,"she whispered with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got attacked by a giant bloody snake," he shot back in a hoarse whisper, which was all he could manage.

"Not surprising," she replied nonchalantly as she raised the bed so he was sitting up. "I've got your potions here, Professor..."

"Please don't call me that."

"Okay. Mr. Snape. I have your potions. Do you need help taking them?"

"No," he shook his head and winced from the pain that shot up his neck from the motion.

"Go ahead, then," she said, sliding a table over to him that contained a number of phials. He immediately reached for one he recognized as a pain potion. It nearly hurt too bad to swallow, so he waited a couple moments for it to take effect before reaching for the second, a potion he knew was to prevent infections in seriously injured patients. There was another for nutrients, a fourth to stave off dehydration, and the final a mild calming draught to keep his blood pressure down.

"Very good, Mr. Snape. She'll be so pleased you didn't put up a fight?"

"She?" he asked, though he was sure he knew who the Healer was talking about.

"Miss Granger," she whispered, nodding to the bed next to him. He slowly turned to see her still sleeping in the bed next to his, turned toward him, one hand extended towards his bed as though she were reaching for him in the night.

"Is she here often?" he asked, trying to sound unconcerned.

"Every day," she replied with a knowing smile.

The Healer finished with him, and he looked down at Hermione, fighting the urge to reach out for her hand. He had failed to drive her away from her mission, and while he wasn't sure what feelings she had for him the day she left him at Hogwarts, he was now sure that she hadn't been lying. And he couldn't fathom how she had allowed herself those feelings knowing what he was like in her time, after he had been so cruel to her for so many years.

The fact that she was lying next to him could only mean that they had won. And they would only have won when Voldemort was dead. He was free. No more spying, no more masters, no more feeling he must live his life protecting those who would happily see him dead. No one to answer to but himself. And, due to some unknown feeling he wished would go away, the girl lying next to him.

She hadn't changed from the girl in 1976, though that should have been expected. The Hermione he knew in the past finally caught up with the Hermione he watched grow. It was only now, realizing what she had been through in the past year, that he realized how she had changed from the young, insufferable know-it-all to the charming, world-wise young woman he had developed feelings for so many years prior. She had been forced to skip being a fresh, independent face released after school to start to make her own destiny. To save her own life she had to become the mature warrior he knew. Weasley didn't take the sudden responsibility as well as she had, and it nearly cost him his freedom when he Apparated into the group of Snatchers. Potter had even less of a choice than Hermione. He didn't need to wonder if Hermione knew her friend was a Horcrux, he'd be shocked if it caught her by surprise, and he'd be willing to bet his last galleon that she was ready to sacrifice herself with Potter. But something changed. Something about him disturbed her enough to go to the past to help him. Had she done so before he killed Dumbledore he would easily say it was a challenge, and she wouldn't turn down a chance to prove she could perform the mission without problem. But this Hermione was different. He longed to know why she decided to save him when her best friend was in such obvious peril. But there was no time left to ponder her, as she started to stir.

She awoke without opening her eyes, stretching, first arms, then legs, then arching her back so he got an inadvertent but not uninviting glimpse down her shirt. She pushed herself slowly up, rolling her head to work out a kink in her neck from sleeping on the uncomfortable bed. When she had finally negotiated herself into a fully sitting position she opened her eyes, which immediately fell upon him, and her face lit up as she saw he was awake and staring at her.

"Good morning," she whispered, moving to the very edge of the bed to be as close as possible to him.

"It's afternoon," he replied blandly, and he wasn't surprised to hear it sounding hoarse, and for a quick second he wondered if it would be a permanent change due to the damage in his neck. "Or has your Hogwarts education left you so deficient that you are even unable to read a clock?"

"I didn't look at the clock," she shrugged, seemingly unfazed by his thinly veiled insult. "I planned on looking at that after I checked to see if you were awake."

"Have you slept at my bedside often?"

"No. Last night was the first. They thought it would help you to have a familiar face nearby when you finally woke up. Has someone been in to check you yet?"

"A Healer was in."

"Good. Did they explain everything to you?"

"No."

"I'll talk to them. I know pretty much everything, if you'd like me to fill you in."

"Not now. I know what happened to me, and it obviously didn't kill me. You must have found what was in the cabinet."

"Yes. All of it."

He swallowed, winced from the pain, and looked out the small window. "Did Potter show mercy?" he asked, knowing she would know he was talking about Voldemort.

"It was quick, if that's what you mean. His curse rebounded off Harry's and killed him."

"And afterwards?"

"His body and the bodies of several Death Eaters were cremated magically at a site that only three people know, and they all have the secret-keeper charm placed upon them. They may be a lot of bastards, but no one thought their final resting site should become a destination of desecration. Best to let them just disappear forever."

"Better than he, and most of them, deserved."

"I know more than a few people who would love to desecrate his grave, and none deserved to do it more than you, but I think this is better solution."

"I have neither the time, nor desire to desecrate graves. Since it seems he will not be rotting, let his remains stay where they are and let him be forgotten. Nothing would upset him more than if no one remembered him in a few years' time."

"Hear, hear. Are you thirsty? Hungry?"

"No. The potions will suffice for now."

"Is there something I could do..?"

"No. I daresay you've done enough for me, considering the very fact that I'm sitting here."

She frowned. "If you're worried about a life debt, Severus, I don't hold them. I absolve you from it or whatever I have to say to get rid of it."

"Noble. I was more talking about the fact that I should have died in that shack."

"If you didn't want to live, you should have destroyed your antivenin. I never would have been able to save you without it."

He scowled. "And you're a bloody hero Gryffindor who couldn't leave well enough alone and let me die."

"You promised me you would try to live."

"I thought that by asking me to repeat that promise you were warning me of my imminent death. I didn't know you were so damn stubborn."

"Yes, you did. You told me on several occasions."

"I also thought you were merciful. Not the type to make a man spend days in agony on the way to recovery."

"You were still alive when I started working on you," she whispered. "Only just, but still alive. Had you died there would have been nothing I could do. And I wanted you to live. I'm sorry I held you to your word, Severus."

He sucked in a breath when she said his name in the same low whisper he remembered from his bed so many years ago.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, wanting to change the subject away from the shack.

"Like hell," he shot back.

"Should I go find someone to give you a potion?"

"No. Their watered-down potions are damn useless."

"Should I go fetch something from your lab? It's probably one of the few places that survived the battle."

"Hogwarts has been destroyed?" he asked, a flash of shock crossing his face. He knew the castle was in bad shape, but he hadn't gotten close enough to get a good look.

"It's been severely damaged. They're not sure if they can do sufficient repairs to re-open it in time for the school year, despite Minister Shacklebolt pouring as many ministry personnel and resources into it as they are able to spare at the moment."

"They promoted Shacklebolt to Minister?"

"Couldn't very well leave a Death Eater in the position, now, could they?"

He shrugged, and winced from the pain it caused. "Frankly with the caliber of people who have recently held the position I saw little difference."

She chuckled. "You didn't answer my question. Do you want me to get something from your private store?"

"No. I'm sure they'd frown upon that."

"Since when do you care what someone frowns upon?"

He scowled. "I would think that you might realize that it is unwise to mix certain potions, and thus I probably shouldn't take an illicit potion until I know exactly which ones I am on."

"I'm surprised you didn't know them all by sight, smell, and taste," she said, stretching again. "I can name most of them right now, but there are two that weren't in Advanced Potion Making. I didn't quite get the opportunity to study them. I was a bit preoccupied."

"You and Potter were a bit insane," he shot back. "What the hell were you thinking, going to Godric's Hallow?"

"Did it make you nervous when you heard about our encounter there?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"More like I wanted to hit both of you over the head with the entire tome of An Extended Version of History of Magic. It was idiotic."

"We thought Dumbledore…"

"I apparently learned much quicker than you to never put my stock in what Dumbledore had brewing. The man was playing several different hands and never showed them all to the same people. He had less trust than Potter, and was quite good at manipulating us all to his end."

"You don't need to tell me twice, Severus," her voice had dropped again, and he was internally cursing that soft whisper that threatened to remind him of the feeling of himself buried inside her. "I put my trust in him as much as Harry did. If I had known..."

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. "Would you have done something differently?"

She looked at him for a moment, and he could practically see her brain working behind her eyes. "No," she said slowly, but confidently. "I went back there to save a life, and I accomplished that goal. I never thought that what happened would happen, but I have a feeling Dumbledore knew it might or else he wouldn't have asked me to do it."

"I see."

She reached out his hand for his, and his traitorous fingers closed around hers, and it was a fight to keep the relief from showing on his face. "I don't regret it, Severus," she said firmly. "If I knew when Dumbledore asked exactly what was going to happen, I still would have gone and not tried to change a thing."

He closed his eyes and tried to process her words, somewhat in shock that she would knowingly go along with Dumbledore's plan even if she knew she would wind up giving herself, and at least part of her heart, to him. Or did she mean that she knew the pain she caused him for years?

"If I were to guess, it was Potter who said the Tabooed word?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"You know how easy he is to rile, especially when you talk about his parents."

"And you were tortured because of his stupidity."

Her face fell and some of her muscles tightened involuntarily as she remembered the pain. "If it hadn't happened, we never would have guessed there was a Horcrux in Bellatrix's vault. I'm not happy it happened, but it happened for a reason."

"And you're marked because of it."

She let go of his hand to slide the sleeve of her shirt up, revealing 'mudblood' to him. "How did you know it wasn't what you saw?"

"How did I…?" he repeated, shaking his head. "They were bragging about it, you daft girl. Had they the time they would have started doing it to all the muggle-borns they captured or had rotting in Azkaban. They thought Bellatrix was a damn genius, though they thought it in private because the Dark Lord was not happy with her in the slightest."

"Think of the party they would have had had we died," she said bitterly.

"There's a good chance that if you were stubborn enough to still not give up the information they would have given you to Greyback to defile and destroy. Or even held a revel. I was usually excused from those, but since you were one of my least favorite students the Dark Lord would have assured I would have my chance with you. I would have been Summoned to find you under Yaxley or some other brute and been instructed to wait my turn. Greyback hated being last, but girls tended to not survive once he was through with them."

"Stop," she said, looking disgusted and hugging herself tightly with the hand not holding his.

"Why? Because you don't want to hear of what I did as a Death Eater?"

"I know it was horrible…"

"Of course it was!"

"But what I had to go through was no walk in the park, either, and I don't want to speak of either side of things right now," she finished in a raised voice.

"When, Hermione? It's bound to come up eventually. How long do you think you'd be able to hide this?"

"I don't care what they think any more than you do."

"Do you think that's going to stop them from saying it? From printing it? From giving you disgusted looks as you walk down the street? Tell me, Hermione," he said, snatching her arm, and twisting his body, ignoring the searing pain it caused, to press his left forearm against hers. The image was vivid, her soft skin with 'mudblood' carved on it against his pale, sallow skin with the Dark Mark still burned into it. "Does this look right to you? Does this look like something they'll accept?"

"I don't need them to accept it," she snatched her arm back, covering the scars again and crossing her arms. "You forget, Severus, that I am not Harry. I have never been popular because my team won at Qudditch, but I have been hated because I am his friend and I stayed with him no matter what. I know what it's like to have people call me names and insinuate that I'm something that I'm not in the press. If it bothered me I wouldn't be here. I would have let you die in that bloody shack and said good riddance to it all. But I didn't. I'm here. And I don't give a damn about that mark on your arm, or the one on my arm, because I am not defined by it."

She took a slow breath. "When I first went back, before I went anywhere in the castle proper, when I was still covered in burns and blood and dust and my clothes were torn up Dumbledore offered to get rid of it for me. I refused. It's not my label, any more than that mark on you is yours."

"And yet I will be judged on it," he shot back. "I'll be lucky to stay out of Azkaban because of it, let alone keep a wand."

She reached into her beaded bag, and came up with the dark carved wand. "You've already been judged. Harry, Ron, and I saw to that. We didn't want to wait until you woke up because by then the papers would have written every half-truth about you they could find. Kingsley convened an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot five days after the battle, when things were still crazy and the press was still focusing on Harry, Ron, and I, and hadn't gotten around to smearing you yet. We produced evidence in the form of memories, got Dumbledore's portrait to testify, and you were convicted of being a Death Eater, but given a suspended sentence due to your work as a spy. As long as you don't participate in Dark Arts activities or try to become a new Dark Lord in the next twenty years you're in the clear."

"Well, there goes my plans for the future," he muttered dryly.

"Funny, Severus."

"Why do you think that was a joke?"

"I would hope you're not daft enough to be planning to attempt to take over the wizarding world just now."

"According to the Ministry I have to wait twenty years. You would think they'd be smart enough to tell a former Death Eater that he can never stray down that path again, but that makes it sound like I have carte blanche in twenty years."

"Nineteen years, fifty weeks," she replied dryly.

"I should get planning then. Care for a job in my organization? I think my mission will to be getting rid of dunderheads in the Ministry. If you get in early I can assure you a spot in my inner circle. No brand required, though black cloaks are mandatory."

"Severus," she sighed, shaking her head. "What _are_ your plans?" she asked, looking pleadingly at him.

"Probably return to Spinners End. Become a recluse. Well, become more of a recluse."

She rolled her eyes. "I guess you're lucky I didn't follow your will and burn it to the ground, then. You admit the place is unfit to live in."

"I don't have anywhere else right now, and I don't think people will be falling over themselves to help me find a new place. Not to mention I'm not going to be able to afford anything else for quite some time."

"You have no plans for a job or anything?"

"Are you so thick to think that I'm going to find employment anywhere?" he snapped.

"I'm starting to think you mean those insults."

"Do you think I'd say them without meaning them?"

She looked hurt for a second, then skeptical. "You're trying to push me away, aren't you?" she accused.

"Am I?" he grunted.

"You're back to your old bastard of a self. Either this is how you really are and none of it was just a front, or you're trying to drive me off."

"I have been a bastard to everyone I've met for the past twenty-five years. Why would you think you're deserving of special treatment?"

"You are," she said, eyes narrowing. "You're trying to push me away. You're trying to tell me you don't want me without saying the words."

"If you say so."

"Or is it?" she murmured, suspicion written clearly across her face. "Do you want me, Severus?"

"Why would you think…"

"It called for a simple yes or no. You're trying your hardest to tell me no, but you won't say it. Is it because the answer is yes but you don't want to admit it? What do you want, Severus?"

"What do I _want_?" he growled, setting his jaw. "What I want is to take you far away from this damnable place and all the people in it…"

"Sounds good so far."

"And never darken their doorstep again," he finished.

"A little less so. But you don't think I'll say yes."

"I _know_ you won't," he scoffed. "You have too much of a connection to Potter and Weasley and this place in general."

"I'm sure a happy medium can be found."

"How Gryffindor," he sneered. "Always trying to make hopeless causes work."

"How Slytherin of you to try to push me far enough I walk out of my own accord. Then it's not your fault. Then _I _rejected _you_. Then you can go and be a recluse in Spinners End and you can blame me forever. Why are you afraid of me?"

"I'm not afraid of you," he growled.

"Then why are you trying so hard to show me this won't work?"

He stared at her with a deep, penetrating stare, and she felt a memory start to come to the front of her mind. She watched as she ran from Severus, when he suddenly tripped. By the time he got to the headmaster's office she was gone, and there was a rush of emotions, confusion, anger… but pain was the most prevalent. She was watching the day she left from his point of view. "I have no desire for a repeat performance," he added, his voice barely audible.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to leave, but I had to. There was no way to stop Dumbledore's spell, and even if there was I wouldn't have done it because I had to get back and finish what we started. And I couldn't tell you everything. Things had to happen the way they did. If I told you exactly what was going to happen you might not have followed the path you did. I could never understand why you were so mean to me before. I thought it was because I was a Gryffindor and Harry's friend, but you were mean to me before I was Harry's friend. Now I know. How could you not hate me after what I did to you? I can't make you choose me, Severus, but I can make you choose."

"How am I to know if you're going to do it again? Dumbledore's spell was out of your control. So is the day you'll meet a younger wizard. Or the day you realize you want children that I cannot provide you. Or the day Potter tells you you're making a mistake."

"I guess that's the nature of relationships. I can't make you trust me. That's something that builds, something that has to be earned through hard work and demonstration. But if you feel you can't trust me, that you will never be able to trust me, from the start perhaps it is best we don't start something," she finished softly, fighting the obvious disappointment from coming through in her voice.

He studied her, carefully assessing her body language. She seemed deflated, her eyes wet, but she wouldn't cry in front of him. She wasn't the type for emotional manipulation. She held herself as still as she could, looking towards him but not at him, seemingly preparing herself for the rejection he had been trying to push her into.

"If you promise not to cry, I'll promise that I'll give you a clean slate and a chance. We'll work on the trust," he said in a low voice.

"A chance is all I wanted," she smiled, and she leaned forward to kiss him. This time he kissed back without reservation.


	28. Release

**AN: Hey, everyone. Almost done with this! We've got one more chapter/epilogue combination.**

**I'm going to send out a big congratulations to my good friend through this site, riabinger, who is making me a virtual aunt in December!**

**And, of course, a thanks to all of you. Between this site and Granger Enchanted I've gotten over 1,000 reviews, which has been awesome. You guys are the best!**

"What I fucking need is for you and this bloody hag to leave me be for five damn minutes!" Snape snarled as Harry entered the room where he was getting physical therapy. Harry looked around and saw his former professor looming over Hermione, who was holding her ground, arms crossed, and looking equally as dangerous, the Healer nearby looking as though she wanted to be anywhere else.

"Call me what you will, Severus, but stop insulting the Healers. They're only trying to help. If you make one more cry I'm going to hide your wand until you issue a heartfelt and sincere apology," Hermione said calmly.

"You wouldn't dare," he shot back in the voice Harry recognized as the one Snape used when someone was within seconds of being the victim of a bad hex.

"Try me," she dared.

His eyes narrowed, and his fist clenched, and Harry decided it was time to step in.

"Perhaps a break is in order, yeah?" he asked with as much authority as he could muster, drawing Snape's glare.

"A break is probably in order," the Healer nodded enthusiastically, and she placed a chair behind Severus. Hermione immediately stepped forward, placing one of Severus' arms around her shoulders and hooking an arm around him to help ease him down into the chair. Without being asked she retrieved a cup of water and helped Severus take a drink.

"I'm going to run upstairs for some tea. Would you like some?" she asked him, and Harry could still hear the tension in her voice, though it was well hidden behind genuine concern. He wasn't surprised, Hermione and Snape could both be hard-headed and short-tempered, but as mad as Hermione was about a situation that didn't stop her from loving whoever was drawing her ire.

"No. I'll have some when I get back to my cell."

She let off a noise of irritation, but pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes. Be nice."

He patted her hand twice.

"Care to join me, Harry?"

"I'll be up in a couple minutes," Harry replied. She shot him a look of curiosity before walking out of the room.

"Can we get a some privacy?" Harry asked the Healer.

"I've got a couple more patients to check on," she nodded, and scurried from the room.

"I'm not in the mood to talk, Potter," Snape snapped as Harry drew up a chair to sit opposite.

"I'm sorry, but there's no other time, Professor."

"Don't call me that."

"I've heard about your aversion, but old habits die hard. Unless you still prefer 'Sir'."

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk about Hermione."

His jaw tightened.

"I don't think either of us care to draw this conversation out, so I'll just come out and ask; What are your feelings for her?"

"I don't think it has anything to do with you."

"She's my friend. I'm concerned about her well-being. She's here all the time, obviously concerned about you, and I come here to find you cursing at her."

"Would you like to do this rehabilitation?"

"I'd like to think I would recognize who is trying to help me and have patience with them, especially if one of those people was doing it out of love."

"You made your point. Now you can leave."

"That wasn't my point. Merely a reaction to something I saw today. No. I asked the question for another reason. And it has to do with your patronus."

"What about it?"

"It's a doe."

"Astute observation, Potter. I'd give you house points, but we're not at Hogwarts."

"It's a doe because of my Mum," he replied quickly. "You let me know that, in the memories you left me."

"You actually paid attention. The one time I had hoped you'd skip to the end."

"I know a person's patronus can change because of who they love or want to love. It's why Tonks' changed into a wolf when she started to want Lupin."

"Are you going to give me a magic lesson or finally get to the point?"

"Do you still love my Mum?"

Severus glared at him for a few moments. "Your mother is dead. My feelings for her are immaterial."

"But they could directly effect my best friend, and that is what I care about. If you still have feelings for my Mum, are you going to be able to have feelings for Hermione? She deserves someone who can offer her everything."

"Finally, a point we can agree on," he said, sitting back and focusing on the floor. "You have to understand something, Potter. My feelings for Hermione from when she was eleven until very recently were nothing I am proud to admit now. As bad as you thought my feelings for you were, my feelings for her were worse. I hated her. Your mother hurt me. She ended our friendship when I was most vulnerable. But it was your mother, not you, and part of me could separate the two of you. But there was no separation with her. Every time I looked at her I was reminded of the pain she caused me. She didn't know she did it as it hadn't happened for her yet, but it had happened for me, and I couldn't separate the young her from the one who had been back.

"I did what I could to dissuade her from going back, though looking back I approached that in the wrong way, and probably sealed my fate. Lupin made me realize that in your third year. By that time it was too late for me to try to change how I acted towards her, and part of that was my absolute disgust at the situation and myself. I don't have much in this world, Potter. I was under constant suspicion whenever something bad happened at that school. The only thing I was never accused of was impropriety with a student, and suddenly I had one in front of me who I knew I had slept with. And I was terrified that if I spent too much time around her one of my colleagues who had been teaching back then would remember and figured it out as I had. They barely trusted me before, had they realized who she was I would come under a cloud of suspicion any time the two of us had simultaneous times when we were alone. I was terrified that would happen, because I couldn't quit to save my reputation. Dumbledore and the Dark Lord would not let me. I know Hermione did not mean to hurt me as badly as she did, but I was young, vulnerable, and angry when she left me. And after so many years of harboring pain from many different sources I saw the young, eager girl who started Hogwarts with you as the only one who I could give some of that pain back to.

"Which brings me to your mother. I have never forgiven myself for what happened to her. I wasn't ready to end the friendship, but I know now she held on longer than she should. Still, I held out hope. And I blamed myself for her death. To me, it was easier to hold her on a pedestal and hold onto the feelings she never reciprocated than to accept the fact that someone fell in love with me, especially knowing what I am like now and knowing that she looked past every obvious flaw I have. But as Hermione matured I realized she would have never intentionally hurt me, and that she would never lie about her feelings towards someone. It was never hard to see when she was mad at you, but she's one of the most fiercely loyal people in that school.

"When you saw my Patronus I was at a crossroads. Hermione was no longer my student, a memory I could finally have without disgust and revulsion at the thought. And I knew it was only a matter of time until Hermione had the same memories as I. And that would also be close to the moment where I was going to be in the fight for my life. It is a lot to think about when running a school and trying to keep students safe with the constant threat of the Dark Lord coming to visit. And I decided to do as I always had done. I never wanted a student harmed, and I had sworn to protect you. By extension I had to protect her. You never would have survived without her."

"That's true," Harry chuckled. "She saved my life several times."

"She saved a lot of people, and yet she'll always think of the ones she didn't save. She comforts George every day, and I think she feels guilty that she didn't save Fred when she was messing with time. Every time Weasley visits she questions her decision a little more."

"She can't change that. Ron begged her, she said there was no way to save him without breaking pretty much every rule of time-turners."

"She's obliterated the rules of time-travel recently. Though I guess credit for that must be given to Dumbledore as well."

"What was she like? Back with you, I mean."

"Much as she always was. Stubborn. Witty. Loyal."

"If you still had feelings for my mum, why did you start something with her?"

"She was ridiculously persistent."

"She told us she had no plans of having a romantic relationship when she went back, but things sort of happened that way."

A smile flickered across his face at the memory. "Things may have started somewhat abruptly."

"Which I guess gets us back to my original question."

"The short answer is yes. Perhaps I'm already getting there. I don't know what it's like to have feelings for someone and to have them reciprocate. And some days I wonder why the hell she puts up with me."

"Because she cares for you."

"Is it caring? Or does she feel some sense of obligation towards me?"

"That's not Hermione. She's not afraid to run away from a bad situation."

Severus said nothing, but glanced at the door as though he were hoping Hermione would come walking through.

"She worked herself into a bad spot after the battle. Did she tell you about her accident?"

"Accident?" his eyes shot up.

"She was so drained from the battle and what she did to save you that she collapsed and fell down a flight of stairs. She cracked her skull, though don't tell her I told you. She said something about you thinking she had brain damage before."

"She's fine now?" he asked softly.

"Yes. She had to rest a couple days in bed. She asked about you every couple hours, and came over as soon as she could. If she didn't care about you she had an excuse not to talk about you or worry about you, and the first thing she wanted to know when she woke up was how you are doing."

Severus thought about it for a long moment, then nodded.

"I guess there's only one more thing we need to talk about then," Harry said softly.

"What else?" he sighed.

"You and I."

"I don't know what Black may have told you, Potter..."

"Not that. I don't think we'll ever be friends. There's too much history there, on both sides. But we have one thing in common. We both care deeply about Hermione. And the least we could do for her is to... well, it doesn't have to be like each other. More like not show any animosity towards each other. She deserves to not have to worry about the two of us bickering all the time, or to have to chose between her friends and her lover."

"I think I can manage that," he nodded.

"Good. How about a game of chess, sir?"

Severus nodded, and Harry set up a board between them. Ten minutes later Hermione came in, carrying three steaming cups of coffee in a holder.

"Sorry it took a while," she said, not looking up. "I needed some air, so I went to the..." she trailed off as she looked up and saw them in the middle of a game.

"You're just in time to see him sorely beat me," Harry smiled grimly as Severus' queen overtook one of his knights.

"You never were much of a chess player," she said, handing him one of the coffees. "Extra cream, little bit of sugar?"

"Sounds good."

"And this is for you, Severus," she said, placing another cup on the table next to him. "Black. And yes, it's decaf. Until you're off the sleeping potion no caffeine."

He took her hand and looked up into her face. "Thank you," he said softly, and even Harry could tell he wasn't talking about the coffee.

Hermione smiled at him, reaching up to brush his hair off his face. "You're welcome," she replied.

XXXXXXXXXX

Weeks passed, and life slowly started to get back to normal. Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Ron, and George were all living at the Burrow, though they finally were sleeping in their own rooms. George had opened up Weasleys Wizard Wheezes in the middle of August to the expectant crowd that would be returning to newly-renovated Hogwarts. Hermione agreed to help him run the business, running the office work, until he felt comfortable taking the job on his own, hired someone else, or hired her permanently. She worked early so she could get out in time to have dinner with Severus. She spent at least three hours a day in the hospital with him, helping with his physical therapy where she could, often staying until he fell asleep. She had hoped he would be out in time for her birthday, but as the day dawned with him still in his bed in St. Mungos she resigned herself to the day without him.

She sat in her room, which was once Percy's, looking down at Mrs. Weasley bustling around the yard. It was a warm late-summer day, the sky blue, and Molly was ready to start celebrating birthdays again. Harry had disappeared for his, though Hermione and Ron knew immediately to check Grimmauld Place. Hermione stayed with him while Ron went back to his family to feed them the lie that he found the old home abandoned. Hermione made a simple meal, and they ate in silence. Ginny's was the next, and she and Harry spent the day together. Percy, still feeling guilty, gamely put up with his mother's insistence on a small celebration, but after dinner everyone wandered away, most before the cake had been served. Molly had sat Hermione down the week prior to ask what she wanted, and while Hermione's plan had been to spend the day with Severus, as she had every weekend, she realized Molly needed a normal birthday celebration, something to show her family hadn't been irreparably damaged, and Hermione agreed to a small party. They invited Jennae, Hagrid, Luna, and Neville, Molly happily made a large cake with a Gryffindor crest. Once she started setting up it seemed to turn into a moment of family therapy; Ginny, George, Arthur, and Ron spent the morning setting up the table, cleaning the yard, decorating, and cooking. Hermione gave them some space, and took a shower. Once the party was over, no later than five as she had insisted, she would go visit Severus.

When she saw Jennae arrive she hurried downstairs. She had kept in touch with her former friend, and the friendship was starting to grow again. Hermione was surprised, especially since she had lied to Jennae pretty much the whole time she was back, but it didn't seem to be in Jennae's nature to hold a grudge. By the time she made it out to the yard Hagrid was also there, beaming widely as everyone started greeting each other.

"Hogwarts isn't the same without yeh," he said as they sat and Molly started passing out drinks. "I though' if any of you lot would be back, you'd be the one."

"I might have, Hagrid," Hermione said with a smile. "But I think I've caused enough scandal for one lifetime."

"That was quite the interesting headline," he smiled widely. Hermione couldn't keep her relationship secret forever, and when she and a healer had taken Severus out for a short walk they had been photographed and the speculation ensued. She was silent for a while, then released a short statement confirming there was a relationship, but denying anything had happened during their time together at Hogwarts. She left the Prophet to speculate after that, but after a week they got tired of guessing and moved back to their favorite topic- Harry.

"They wouldn't be doing their jobs as muckrakers if they didn't speculate that Severus and I were shagging in hidden alcoves in Hogwarts," she murmured, spearing a potato with her fork.

"Well, to be fair, you kind of were, even if they were a couple decades off on the time frame," Jennae replied, and Ginny started snickering.

"Why do you think I was careful to specify 'during _my _school years'?" she smirked.

"How very Slytherin of you, Hermione," Ginny said.

"Spend enough time around a Slytherin..." Hermione started, but the popping sound of Apparation cut her off. Harry, Ron, Bill, and Arthur sprang to their feet, wands out, but Hermione didn't need more than a glance at the figure at the edge of the wards to clamber over the table, nearly stepping in Ginny's food before jumping down and running towards the familiar billowing black cloak. She ran across the lawn, sliding to a halt in front of Severus and her favorite Healer, an older woman named Mabel who never let Severus' temper get to her, who was accompanying him.

"Hey," she smiled, smiling.

"I'm released from the hospital after more than four months, and all you can say to me is 'hey'?" Severus sneered.

Without a second thought as to her approaching friends Hermione threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist to avoid his neck, which was no longer bandaged but still bothered him on occasion, and stood on her tip toes to kiss him.

"Oi! Don't mind us," Ron shouted after a few seconds. Severus held her to him for another second before letting her break away.

"Sorry," Hermione smiled, cheeks turning red, and she went to take Severus' hand to find it on the top of a black walking stick. "Borrow that from Lucius Malfoy, did you?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," Severus replied, hitting it on the stone. "I had to have one in order to leave the hospital, and I refuse to carry one of the hospital-issue ones."

"Then I will keep all jokes about it to myself. For now. Hullo, Mabel. Glad to be getting rid of him?"

"Doesn't bother me, but some of the other Healers aren't sad to see the back of him," Mabel smiled fondly at her.

"Well, he can be a cantankerous old bastard," she smirked at him.

"Hermione!" Molly gasped.

"You have to admit, she knows how to tell the truth, Mum," Ron grumbled.

"I'm assuming he has some kind of instructions?" Hermione ignored them.

"Keep talking about me as though I'm an old dog at the end of my days," Severus grumbled.

"If I thought you'd take care of yourself, I would trust you with the information."

"When have I ever proven myself untrustworthy?"

"That hallway with the ashwinder venom," she said matter-of-factly.

The corner of his mouth upturned. "I didn't lie to you then."

"But you still lied. And put on a hell of a production in order to do so."

"Touche."

"I'm sorry, Mabel. Is there anything I need to know?"

"He's on a soft food diet," Mabel said, handing over a small folder. "There's a list of what he can eat and what he should avoid. No alcohol yet..."

Severus groaned, and Hermione elbowed him gently in the ribs.

"He'll have to keep doing his exercises, he has a Healer who will come visit him every day to help, but whatever you can get him to do will help. He needs to take it easy for a while; no heavy lifting, no flying, and use the walking stick for any trip longer than a hundred feet or so until he's been cleared to move about on his own. Is he staying here?"

"Yes," she replied.

"No," Severus said at the same time.

"You said in your will that Spinners End is unfit for human habitation," she sighed.

"I've lived there during the summer for years."

"You're not living by yourself."

"It's suited me fine until now."

"You didn't have a spinal injury before."

"I can manage."

"And you can manage here. That way I'll be close, I can help you if you need help."

"Severus, remember you are to have help or you are to go back," Mabel scolded.

"We'd be honored to have you," Arthur added softly.

Severus stared at Hermione for a long moment. "Okay," he agreed.

"Good," she smiled. "Anything else Mabel?"

"Just need a couple signatures. Hippocrates wanted to keep him a couple days, but agreed to release him into your care, so you need to sign off saying you're agreeing to the responsibility," the Healer handed over a couple papers, which Hermione quickly signed.

"Good luck with him, Miss Granger," Mabel smiled warmly. "You know where we are if he gets to be too much."

"If that's the criteria he'll be back before sundown," Ron muttered.

Mabel left, and Hermione took Severus' hand and led him back to the table, fixing him a plate that fit into his dietary restrictions.

"It's good to see you out, Severus," Molly smiled as she started cutting the cake and passing it out.

"I want to express my condolences to your family, Molly..." he started softly.

"No need," she shook her head, unusually focused on her task to hide the tears forming in her eyes. "Ginny told me how you convinced the Carrows not to harm her further a couple times when she was being punished. And what you did for Arthur... My family owes you so much, Severus. The least we can do to repay you is host you until you're well."

He looked at the table, at a loss for words.

The party took a festive turn not too long after that, with Bill and Charlie enchanting some chairs to race, then the group starting up an impromptu game of Quidditch. Hermione and Severus stayed happily on the ground, watching the group. Hagrid disappeared for a while, returning with a trunk of Severus' clothes that had been salvaged by McGonagall from Hogwarts, and a message that she was looking forward to seeing him.

"I'm going to need a few more weeks of recovery to make it through that meeting," he said, unsuccessfully trying to stifle a yawn.

"Are you ready to start getting ready for bed?" Hermione asked.

"I should probably start heading to bed soon."

"I'll go in with you," Molly offered. "Hermione can move in with Ginny, and you can have Percy's room..."

"Mum!" Ginny and Bill's voices groaned in unison from above. Harry, who had overheard, was sitting uncomfortably astride his broom and watching Ron, who was rocketing towards the woods for no discernible reason. Charlie and George sensed an argument, and quickly joined the group.

"Mum, don't you think it's a little unreasonable to ask Hermione and Severus to stay in different rooms?" Bill asked gently

"Hardly," she shot back. "They are too young..."

George burst out laughing. "Mum, in case you didn't notice, Snape isn't exactly a child."

"And neither am I," Hermione pointed out. "Mrs. Weasley, I don't want to start a fight. It's your home, and I will respect the rules you set down."

"Really?" Ginny asked, sounding suspicious.

"Grimmauld Place is always open," she replied with a sly smile.

Harry groaned.

Molly studied them for a long time, then shook her head. "Fine," she sighed. "Take the room together. But for Merlin's sake, be careful. You're too young to have a baby, Hermione."

Severus decided against reminding her that even if he could have a child, he and Hermione weren't foolish enough to forget something as important as contraceptive charms.

"Mum!" Ginny groaned loudly as Molly gathered some plates and went inside.

"Just remember the silencing charms. I'm in the room next door, and I don't want to hear a single thing," George said.

A wicked grin crossed Severus' face. "Mister Weasley, I was your teacher for nearly seven years. Do you remember what it was like during that time?"

"It's coming back to me," he murmured.

"Most of what I could prove you have been duly punished for. However, do you remember the Bubotuber pus?"

"You knew that was us?" his eyes went wide.

"Not to the point where I could prove it to Dumbledore, but I knew who was laughing first when I was unable to sit the next day. The Headmaster refused to let me dole out punishment, merely saying you two were always laughing about something, and it could be a coincidence. But in this backyard the burden of proof is much lower, and I have what amounts to a confession. And I'm not in a particularly generous mood."

"I'm moving in with Ron."

"Severus, be nice," Hermione snapped, unable to hide a smirk. "Don't worry about it, George. I'll make sure there's a silencing charm."

"Insufferable, bossy little witch," Severus grumbled with a grin.

"Would you have me any other way?"

He rolled his eyes, but wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to him. She thanked her guests for coming, gathered the small stack of presents she received, and led Severus into Percy's room. A quick smile passed her lips as she realized that someone, and only Molly and Arthur were in the house, had already widened the bed to fit two and fixed it up nicely. She made sure to cast a silencing charm as soon as she was done putting the gifts onto the small desk.

Severus, who had levitated the trunk upstairs, made sure it was safely nestled in a corner before sinking gratefully onto the bed.

"Does it hurt?" Hermione asked softly, moving in front of him and starting to unfasten the buttons on his cloak.

"Not much. I haven't had to climb stairs since my injury."

"The stairs are besting you?"

"I'm hardly bested," he smirked as she pulled the cloak off and carefully hung it in the closet. She got his night clothes out of his trunk and placed them on the bed next to him, then started to reach for his shirt. She had unfastened the two top buttons when he gently grabbed her wrists.

"It's not the same, Hermione," he murmured.

"What's not?" she asked, stomach dropping.

"Me. I'm not the same. Physically."

"Twenty-two years will do that to someone."

"Not that. I was punished by the Dark Lord. I'm damaged."

"Can you... can we be together physically?"

"Yes, that wasn't harmed. But there's scars."

"You're worried about a few scars. I know you have scars. I knew you'd get them back then. It doesn't bother me," she whispered, making her point by kissing him. She unfastened the rest of the buttons and pushed the shirt off him. There were the long, still-pink scars around his neck from Nagini, and several older, pale scars across his chest and back. She ran her fingers over him, leaning into him, and pressing a kiss to his lips. His hands slid up her sides, slipping under her shirt and pulling her as close to him as he could.

"It's not different for me, Severus. It hasn't changed at all. I don't care what you look like, you're still what I want."

He let off a chuckle of relief.

"I don't want to push you. I'll happily go sleep in another room if you don't feel we're there yet..."

His hands tightened on her. "I've waited twenty-two years, Hermione," he whispered. "I'll admit that most of the time I would not admit I was waiting, but there was always a part of me that was looking out for you, knowing you promised to return."

"I'm yours, Severus. As long as you want me."

He pulled her down to crash his lips into hers, and for the first time in months she felt certain about her future.

**Two final A/Ns:**

******Thank you to viola1701e, who nominated me for the Energize WIP awards! Voting is at www*energizewipawards*blogspot*com/2011/09/nominee s*html (periods, not asterisks) from the 13th of this month to the 20th.**

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	29. Epilogue

"Did you talk to her?" Harry's concern was evident despite how quiet he was attempting to be.

"Verity says they aren't there," a worried-sounding Ginny said in an equally low voice.

Severus knew he wasn't supposed to be privy to the conversation, but he paused on the stairs to listen regardless. It had been six months since he had been released from St. Mungos. His health had greatly improved, however he was still stiff most mornings and most activities would still cause him pain after a while. Hermione made him a priority, but she had also started studying for her NEWTs as well as started helping George in the shop, so she left him alone for long periods of time. He passed the time in their room, occasionally chancing a lone walk around the property, and became used to the routine. For the first few months Hermione had been consistently home by six for supper, but in the last month she had been coming home later and later, always arriving with George, and from Harry and Ginny's whispers it was obvious he wasn't the only one concerned about the situation.

"Did she say where they went?" Harry asked.

"No," Ginny sounded irritated. "What do you think they're doing?"

"Whatever it is I bet it's not what we think," he murmured, though it was obvious he wasn't convinced of that fact himself. "Maybe they're looking to expand."

"Hermione told me that, with the hit from having to close for a while, George isn't going to be in a position to expand for at least another year, probably closer to two."

"Do you think they have some meeting?"

"Two or three a week?" she sounded horribly skeptical.

"I just..." he sighed, sounding frustrated. "I don't think Hermione would do that. George, either, for that matter."

"Why? Do you think they're afraid of Snape?"

"No. Because it's not like Hermione to be disloyal to someone, and it's not like George to facilitate it."

"A year ago I would have agreed with you. But neither of them have been the same since the war. He's still so hurt after losing Fred I think he's trying to find some sort of connection. And she's so tied down with Severus... if she's not studying or working she's helping him. I'd be surprised if she didn't need something to break up the routine."

Severus scowled and silently returned to their room, sitting on the bed. Could it be true? Hermione didn't seem to mind spending time with him, she was happy, joking with him, and their sex life, while it wasn't as spontaneous and explosive as it had been when they first started sleeping together, seemed to be going well enough. She told him she loved him, but he hadn't returned the sentiment. He found it difficult, if not impossible, to admit his feelings for her. It made him so vulnerable, and he wasn't ready to admit the power the witch had over him. She always seemed so patient, but maybe he was taking her patience for granted. Maybe she was getting fed up with him, and finding comfort in the arms of another.

The door opened, and Hermione stuck her head in.

"Severus? Dinner is..." she stopped when she saw his face. She entered the room and closed the door behind her. "Is something wrong?" she whispered, coming to stand in front of him.

He looked up into her face, studying her skin, looking for any sign of infidelity.

"Are you sleeping with Weasley?" he asked, face betraying his anger.

"No!" her face went from shock to anger. "What the hell would make you think that?"

"The two of you have been disappearing after work, and coming back at the same time."

"And the only explanation you could think of is that we're fucking each other?" she spat.

"Then what is it, Hermione? Where are you going?"

"There is... something we've been working on."

"Having problems thinking of a plausible story?" he snapped.

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "I need to make a Floo call," she said evenly before storming from the room.

His fingers curled around the edge of the bed, and he took deep breaths to try to control himself. How easily that girl could rile him! And she wouldn't even talk to him. He let his rage build for a while, then decided he had to confront the girl, and the house was not going to be the place to fight. He crossed the room and wrenched open the door, just to find her reaching for the knob on the other side.

"Get your cloak," she said, her voice deadpan. "We have somewhere we have to be in five minutes."

Without another word she turned and disappeared down the stairs, and he stared at the spot for a long moment before snatching his cloak with a frustrated growl, stalking down the stairs, and exiting the house without acknowledging any of the friendly, yet concerned greetings aimed at him. Hermione was already at the edge of the wards, attempting to button her jacket as her fingers shook from frustration.

"You have no right, witch..." he started.

"Oh, shut it, Severus. You don't even know where we're going," she snapped, giving her buttons up as a bad job and tying the belt instead.

"What makes you think I'm going to go with you?" he snarled.

"Because you want to know what I've been up to, even if it means you'll be utterly humiliated when you find out how utterly benign it is," she sighed, holding her arm out.

He studied her for a moment, then snatched her arm and let her Apparate him away from the Burrow. When they landed it was on a small, gravel road. There were tall trees lining the road, and a gate to one side, though it was hard to see what lay beyond the thick brush. As he tried to crane his neck to see another figure appeared in the lane, a woman dressed in red robes and wearing a sickeningly wide smile.

"Miss Granger, I was so pleasantly surprised to hear you were ready to bring Mr. Snape here!" she stepped forward to shake their hands. "I'm Janice Ewing, magical realtor," she introduced herself to Severus. "Hermione came to me with a very specific idea of what she was looking for in a home. She's been looking so hard," the woman said, using her wand to open the gate. "We've been looking almost a month, but I had a hunch she might return to this one. There was something in her face as we were looking at it..." she kept on, but Severus looked at Hermione.

"I think you're well enough we should start talking about moving you out of the Burrow," she said softly.

He was speechless as he looked at her, then at the cottage they were approaching.

"Hermione has all the details about this house, and she said you would prefer to look at it alone, so I'll wait here and answer any questions you may have," Janice said, opening the door and stepping aside.

Hermione led Severus through the door into a small entrance hall. A set of stairs sent up to the second floor on one side, a comfortable sitting room was on the other. Through a door in the back he could see a cozy kitchen with a small dining table.

"What is this?" he asked softly.

"This would be a house," she replied with a smirk.

"Why are we in this house?" he asked.

"Well, first of all, it's small, because you don't need a lot of space. And there's a beautiful garden in the backyard, one that would be a good size to grow most any potions ingredient you need. We're in an isolated part of the hills, so there's no neighbor within a mile or so, and since it's a magical dwelling you can ward it so no one can see what you're doing, including flying."

Another conversation came to him, one whispered to each other in bed after one of their romps. "You remembered?"

She smiled. "You wouldn't believe how long it took to find this place. It seems like you can get a big house on land or a little house on a small plot, but these cozy little isolated cottages are all occupied."

He looked around with a more appraising eye. The cottage, at first glance, was what he had in mind during their conversation so long ago. There was nothing fussy about the house itself, there was a little room for entertaining guests, but it didn't invite anyone to overstay their welcome with extra rooms or areas that would be comfortable for large groups of guests. The kitchen was efficient, enough room to move around, but not enough room for fancy and fussy cooking equipment. There was a fireplace, not unsurprising with former magic residents. A study was tucked away in the back, with bookshelves built into each wall. There was a cellar currently being used to store elf-made wine and unused decorations, but it was clean and dry enough to set up a potions lab. He cautiously moved upstairs. The place had two bedrooms. The smaller of these overlooked the front yard, the gravel road barely visible through the still-bare branches of the trees. He went to open the door to the master bedroom, but Hermione blocked him.

"I want to remind you, before you go in there, that it can be changed. Don't judge based on the walls," she said.

"What's wrong with them?" he asked, opening the door and expecting damage. Instead he found the walls covered in the type of wallpaper few outside Dolores Umbridge would be able to stomach. The bright pink floral pattern was almost overpowering, the matching drapes were worse, and he was forced to avert his eyes to the thankfully-neutral carpet.

"It's horrid," he smirked.

"It can be changed. It will be changed, if you choose to buy the house."

He held his hand out for the small file she was holding. He opened it up, scanning the mundane dimensions of the home and the lot, and he scowled as his eyes settled on the price.

"I cannot afford this, Hermione. I'm currently without a job."

"Well," she bit her lip and played with her fingers. "The truth of it is... someone has offered to assist in both those regards."

"Who?" he asked, though he could hazard a guess. Few wizards had the money to be buying acquaintances houses.

"The Malfoys," she confirmed his suspicions. "I've spent some time with them recently. They are quite grateful that you helped Draco survive the war."

"I hardly..."

"That's what I said you would say, but they are quite convinced that Voldemort intended to kill Draco, but when you... took over his job you pleased him enough that he spared Draco. They don't know how to thank someone without throwing a boatload of money their way, and in your case it's a house and a job recommendation with the St. Mungos research department. They say they know the head quite well, and he lost a researcher recently, and they're desperate for a talented potion maker."

"Why didn't they tell me this themselves?"

"You've been avoiding them. They can't just Floo over to the Burrow, nor can they Apparate there. They've sent you a few letters to discuss the situation, but I think they all made their way into your pile," she said softly, referring to a large pile of correspondence he let stack up but hadn't touched in months.

He scowled again as he looked at the price.

"I said you probably wouldn't want charity. Lucius says if that's the case he will purchase the property and work out a payment plan with you once you are employed. He also said..." she stopped and looked unsure of herself. "He also said that you need an isolated place to take your witch so you're not confined to a single room while trying to keep quiet."

The corner of his mouth curled for a fraction of a second. "He and Narcissa have made it their personal mission to utilize every room in Malfoy Manor, including the dungeons, for their little games."

Hermione let off a disgusted noise. She led him outside under the guise of showing him the grounds, but he suspected she needed some fresh air. He walked along the stone path, trying to find some fault with the place, but unfortunately not coming up with anything that would give him some more time to think about Malfoys offer.

"Have you really been bringing Weasley along with you as you looked at houses?" he asked as he heard Hermione coming up behind him.

"He wanted to come. He's looking for a house as well. It's too difficult for him to continue staying in the room he and Fred shared, and he's been unable to spend more than a few minutes in their flat over the shop."

"I should apologize. It was wrong of me to assume the worst of you."

"It hurt me that you did," she replied softly. "I had rather hoped you realized that I am not the type to cheat, and if there was something wrong in our relationship I'd talk to you about it, or at least give you some kind of indication that there is something bothering me."

"I am sorry. I hope you can forgive me in time."

"I'll forgive you right now if you promise to talk to me if you have a concern instead of automatically picking a fight. If I'm doing something that concerns you'd I'd rather not be blindsided when I come to fetch you for dinner."

"I so promise," he nodded, holding his hand out for hers.

"So," she smiled, holding his hand and pressing against him. "What do you think of the house?"

"You picked well. Of course, I'd like a professional to look over it before we make a final decision, but I think it would fit our needs quite nicely."

"Our needs?" she looked up at him.

"If I am to be living by myself, I still have Spinners End."

"Oh, no, you don't. You will not be going back to that place unless it's to retrieve things during the move."

"Then I guess we're moving in here together."

"Most people would think a formal question would be in order."

"Most people don't have the relationship we do."

"Amen to that," she smiled. "And yes. I guess we are."

He smiled and drew her to him, gazing at the house. "Would you be happy here?"

"I'd be happy at Spinners End if it were with you," she replied softly.

"That is such a disgustingly romantic thing to say. And totally false."

"You're right. If Spinners End is half as bad as you claim it would be awful to live there. I'd stick through it, but I don't think I'd be happy with it. But this place is quite lovely. I think we would both be quite happy here."

"Even though you are so far from your friends?"

"The Floo makes that hardly an issue. And we won't be too far. George is buying a house on the other side of the nearest village."

"It has instantly lost some of it's charm," he grumbled.

"Severus," she chastised with a chuckle.

"I suppose I can live with Weasley living within a few miles of me. Just so long as he doesn't make a pest of himself."

"I'll warn him, but I think he would be glad to stay on your good side."

"I have no good side."

"I happen to think you have more of one than you let others believe."

"Potter told me about your head injury, and I will re-iterate my previous suspicions that it has affected your judgment."

"Don't start with that, Severus. Need I remind you have also sustained head injuries?"

"And look what it got me. A bossy little know-it-all who demands my attentions until she worms her way under my skin."

"It took a lot for me to worm there, and I don't plan on going anywhere, Severus," she smirked before rising up on tip-toe to kiss him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Severus?" she called, stepping into the the pristine sitting room of the small cottage. There was no reply, but that didn't bother her. Four years after moving into the small home together Hermione knew that Severus hardly ever spent time in the more visible areas of the home. He was either in the lab he worked out of in the basement, in the back in the study where the walls were warded against unwanted sounds, or out on the property tending do some of his ingredients. She carefully hung the bridesmaids dress she had just had fitted, which she would be wearing when she stood next to Harry as he married Ginny in less than a month. Ron had married Susan Bones two months prior, George was engaged to Angelina Johnson, Percy's wife Audrey was expecting their first, and Fleur was halfway through her second pregnancy. Occasionally someone would ask if she and Severus were going to make their relationship official, but Severus insisted, and she agreed, that they didn't feel they needed a grand ceremony to declare she was going to be with each other for the rest of their lives. And Severus wasn't the type for large crowds or public romantic declarations. Even though their relationship didn't seem very passionate to outsiders when they were alone there was an abundance when they were alone.

"Severus?" she cracked the door to the basement, but there was no light to indicate that's where he was hiding. She checked the study to find it empty, then went outside to look for him. He wasn't in the garden, but there was smoke rising from a small copse of trees down a worn footpath. She followed the path into the woods, coming to a clearing where Severus was tending to a small fire, a tent set up behind him.

"Severus?" she called softly, coming into the clearing. "What is this?"

"Some time ago you mentioned that you didn't think I would be good at camping. Now that we both possess the memory, and I am free of that blasted cane, I am proving you that I will have no problems spending a night in the woods," he replied without looking up from the fire.

"Does it really count if you're within walking distance of your house?"

"From my understanding parents take their children camping in the backyard quite often."

"Are you insinuating I'm a child?"

"No, but I will flat-out tell you that you're insufferable at times," he smirked, though she could tell it was playful and not malicious.

"Cantankerous prat," she beamed, sitting next to him. "Did you use magic to put up the tent?"

"Give me a break, Hermione," he said, putting down the stick and wrapping an arm around her. "I am an old man, and inexperienced at camping."

"Well, it does seem nice."

"How is your dress?"

"Fitted. Still a ghastly color, but Ginny is not known for her soft personality."

"I hope Potter knows what he's getting himself into."

"I would think you'd more be along the line that Harry is getting exactly what he deserves."

"Perhaps," he smiled.

"What's the plan for this little trip?"

"You expect me to have a plan?" he scoffed. "I thought part of the point of taking a vacation was not having to stick to any kind of schedule. But if you want to do something, we could start cooking. I could figure it out on my own, but if you want something edible or done before the sun goes down it would behoove you to assist."

"Well, since you asked so nicely," she smiled, setting a grate over the fire and opening the cooler of food Severus had brought out. Before long she had started a thick stew in a pot.

"At least you're not totally worthless," Hermione teased as Severus tipped some peas he had shelled into the pot.

"You have known for a while that cooking is not my strong suit."

"Which surprises me, because you're so good at following potion recipes and getting perfect results."

"There is a difference. Potions done poorly will not work. Food is necessary for survival, but taste is merely for the enjoyment of those eating. Bad food will nourish the same as good."

"So you just lack the motivation to learn to make something delicious."

"No. I merely rely on you, and to a lesser extent Molly, to make something palatable."

"If we weren't around you'd be stuck with half-cooked chicken and whatever the concoction you had for breakfast the other day was. What would you do without me, Severus?" she smiled playfully.

He grunted and looked quickly down to poke at the fire.

"Are there plates and forks in the tent?" she asked, standing.

"Yes," he replied, though something sounded off about his voice, and he looked a little paler than usual.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"Of course," he tried to snap, but it lacked conviction.

Cautiously, watching him carefully, she rose and started walking towards the tent. Before she got too far she heard the swish of his robes, and felt his arms encircle her, holding her tightly, pulling her to him.

"You do know what you mean to me, don't you, Hermione?" he whispered into her ear.

"I know, because it's what you mean to me," she replied.

"Must you always sound like some overly romantic movie?" he murmured against her skin before kissing her neck.

"Only when you make me feel like I'm in one," she sighed, letting him kiss her neck, jaw, and shoulder until she felt like melting into him. "What brought this on, and, more importantly, when are we getting into that bed in the tent?"

She felt him chuckle, then suddenly he spun her, backing her into a tree and pressing his lips hungrily to hers. His hands slid down her body, and she vaguely thought that they weren't going to make it to the tent and that was fine by her. She went to tug his robes off when his hand intercepted hers, and she felt something press into her palm. Curious, she broke away from him, and looked down to find her hand clutching a small, wooden box.

"Severus?" she whispered, her voice shaky.

"If you want me to get on one knee so you can feel you're in one of those wretched movies, I will."

She gasped and looked up at him, unable to speak.

He made a few small noises, as though he were trying to start some rehearsed speech, but it wouldn't come. Finally he looked deep into her eyes and asked, "Will you marry me?"

"Yes," she replied automatically, feeling a ridiculous smile plaster itself to her face. "Yes, of course."

He opened the box to reveal a simple band with a small, brilliant stone. She let him slip it onto her finger and tap it so it sized itself. Her wits suddenly came back to her, and she threw herself at him, kissing him furiously as the small box fell to the ground. They lost track of time as they stayed together, until the acrid smell of burning meat broke them apart. Together they looked at the fire, and saw smoke pouring out of the pot.

"First a potion, now this," Severus sneered, and she shook her head.

"This one is all your fault," she shook her head, vanishing the stew.

"Shall I take you out?"

"The only plan I have right now involves you and whatever bed is in that tent," she smirked, kissing him again. "I love you."

"And I love you," he murmured against her lips. He didn't say it often, and it had taken him the better part of a year to say it the first time, but Hermione believed him more because it didn't come as freely.

"I know. I'm charming and irresistible," she murmured against his lips.

"Infuriating," he shook his head, kissing her before leading her into the tent.

**A/N: Nice fluffy ending to leave you on, eh?**

**Thank yous are in order. First, to riabinger, who has put up with my BS and who has almost turned into a Snamione shipper because of my incessant love of all tall, dark, and brooding men.**

**Next, to Bunnyhops, my Granger Enchanted beta. If you can't find me here, I'll be on there.**

**Finally, to all of you. As of right now I have 920 reviews, which I never imagined. Thank you all for reading, reviewing, and encouraging me. And, of course, for anyone who votes in the Energize WIP Awards, despite this no longer being a WIP.  
**

**Final note: My poll will be up until Friday. Friday or Saturday I will post the first chapter of the story with the most votes.**


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